"What would happen if every blog published posts on the same topic, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices," asks The Action Blog.
Today, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.
What do you think of internet memes? Do you grin or groan when you're tagged? Do you think it's time for the government to establish a 'National Do-Not-Meme Register,' or are you a charter member of - and frequent contributor to - the Ultimate Meme Database?
These questions come to mind following the some of the responses from those I tagged with the "Four Things Meme" and some of the responses they, in turn, received.
Me? I could take 'em, or I could leave 'em ..... what do YOU think?
Yesterday, October 12, marked the 50th-anniversary of the publication of Ayn Rand’s novel "Atlas Shrugged." It sparked plenty of sales and controversy in its day ..... the controversy continues, unabated, half-a-century later. The sales are down since then ..... but they have remained steady. At more than 1,000 pages, it was Rand's biggest work of fiction ..... and definitive, answering once-and-for-all many of the questions raised by earlier works such as "We, the Living" and "The Fountainhead."
Me? I rather like "Atlas Shrugged" ..... I've actually gone through it twice, going back to it again many years, many experiences and many observations after the first reading.
Websites about Ayn Rand and her novels
Brian Murray of First Things asks, "Who Is John Galt? And Does Anyone Care Anymore?"
"Atlas Shrugged" coming to a theater near you?
..... and maybe we should cover kids' ears as they do. Former Vice President Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize for spreading awareness of man-made climate change, and ways to counteract it. Some ask whether Gore - now with an Oscar and a Nobel - might be drafted for a 2008 presidential bid. Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and host of “Meet the Press,” thinks that's unlikely.
Eric at Fire Ant Gazette notes with this post that Odessa, Texas has been selected for a branch office of Dunder Mifflin Infinity (DMI), the new online division of Dunder Mifflin, Inc. Paper Company ..... the setting for NBC's much-acclaimed television series, "The Office" .....
One of the comments to that post notes Odessa is already home to another TV paper company - Primatech Paper Co., from Heroes. In response, Eric suggests that "Friday Night Lights" may be at the root of all this ..... the NBC television series is set in Dillon, Texas - home of the Dillon HS Panthers. But the film and book that inspired the series are set in Odessa.
I think Eric's right ..... I believe it's a location that's become well-known to those within the industry in general, and within NBC in particular ..... you don't really have to know anything about the location - just the name of the town will do.
Do you remember when "Heroes" debuted? Even those West Texans who loved the series had to admit that the location shots for the home of Claire Bennet (an indestructible high school cheerleader) bore absolutely no resemblance to Odessa ..... my own take was that, if they wanted a West Texas location, they should have said she was from El Paso. THAT would have fit in better with the mountains and farm/orchard country in which we first met Claire.
All of which brings me, at last, to the idea of second unit and location work, and what an outstanding job those crews have done for "The Office." Having spent part of my life in the town of Dallas, Pennsylvania, just 25-miles-or-so from Scranton, I am amazed - each and every week - by the level of detail the California-based producers of the show have achieved in creating a 'feel' for that city.
There are the opening shots, of course, showing various sights in-and-around Scranton as the music plays and the cast is introduced. And there are the cutaway shots (the exteriors) that are used throughout the program to segue audiences in and out of scenes in different locations.
But then there are the props used in the studio where the office scenes are filmed. Next time the characters are talking in the break room, look at the bulletin boards on the wall ..... chances are the fliers posted on those boards will be talking about some event going on in the City of Scranton, or Lackawanna County. Last night, while Wayne was working the phones, you could see on file cabinet behind him a bumper sticker for Froggy 101, which is based in nearby Pittston, but broadcasts a signal around northeast Pennsylvania, including Scranton. In another episode, a couple years back, Michael was calling around to various attractions in town, trying to find an interesting - and cheap! - group activity for his staff. Among the attractions he called was the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour.On the surface, they may seem like little things ..... but I think they say A LOT about how well-crafted this show is, right down to the most minute detail ..... it truly is first-rate second unit work for a first-rate television program.
On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future ..... But can such a discussion include longtime, dyed-in-the-wool advocates of the oil and gas industry, and still be meaningful?
I think so ..... and I welcome your input and assistance. I know my readership includes many who earn their living from that industry, or have knowledge that comes from longtime association ..... if you have something to share, I'd like to include it on my postings that day. You can e-mail me with whatever you'd like to contribute ..... of the thousands of blogs and website participating, mine may be one of the few participating in this way
AN ADVANCE POSTING: George at Sleepless in Midland wants to get the word out about an event coming up before the 15th ..... and he hopes you'll join him in participating ..... Make a Difference in Midland! Join Keep Midland Beautiful by participating in their Make a Difference Day Annual Fall Cleanup Saturday, October 13, 2007. Groups are encouraged to sign up now by calling KMB at 687-7400 or register online. Area groups, individuals, families, neighbors,Adopt a Spot and Adopt a Highway groups, churches, schools and businesses will be cleaning up their designated areas from 9 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.. You’ll find young and old picking up trash to build a better Midland - they and KMB board members and officials available for interviews. Lunch will be served to all registered volunteers at Hogan Park from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.
I've lost track of how many times someone from new or alternative media, in general - and the blogosphere, in particular - has chastised us debauched harlots of the mainstream media for overzealous or inadequate attention to facts, apparently to promote our own usually-but-not-always-liberal agenda. CBS/Dan Rather and the 'Bush/National Guard' story is not the only example cited in their argument, but it certainly appears to be one of the most celebrated.
Don't get me wrong, here ..... my profession (as is the case for all professions) is the better for constructive criticism, and the occasional review and house-cleaning prompted by that criticism ..... and if new media (such as the blogosphere) raises the profile of that criticism, and encourages needed review and house-cleaning, then more power to it.
But, what's sauce for the goose, is sauce for the gander .....
This is what comes to mind as I read the Time Magazine online article, "The Swift-Boating of Graeme Frost" by Karen Tumulty. The article follows the controversy surrounding a 12-year-old boy who delivered the Democratic Party's Weekly Radio Address. Because of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) - Democrats say - the boy was able to get the medical care he needed after a serious car accident caused severe brain trauma, paralyzed one of his vocal chords and put him in a coma. He asked President Bush to sign into law the renewal of CHIP that passed both houses of Congress with broad bipartisan support, but was ultimately vetoed by the President.
The controversy grew with this post at freerepublic.com which questioned the boy's credibility as a CHIP-enrollee, citing among other things his attendance at a private school, and his family's home - recently-remodeled - where a neighboring house sold for almost $500,000.
On the surface, pretty damning stuff ..... but is there more to the story? Are there additional facts, and some history behind those facts-already-presented, that might present a more complete picture?
Tumulty found that the boy does indeed attend a private school, but he does so on a scholarship. As for Frost family's home, Tumulty did some background research on the property and found that they purchased the 1936 rowhouse in 1990 for $55,000. At the time, it was vacant and in a run-down neighborhood that has improved since then, in part because of the improvements that people like the Frosts (the boy's father is a self-employed woodworker) and others made to their homes and their neighborhood ..... those of you familiar with North Texas, will recall similar improvements made in Oak Cliff neighborhoods in the Dallas area, beginning in the 1980s, and the ensuing rise in property values. Tumulty also learned that, even with those improvements, the home was still valued substantially less than the neighboring home cited in the freerepublic.com post.You could say that, by allowing their child to deliver the Democratic Party's politically-motivated address, the parents were 'fair game' for politically-motivated rebuttal, and all the rough-and-tumble consequences that entails ..... alright, but in playing that game, can't we endeavor to keep it fair .....
To me, this goes to show that new media does have a valid role as a watchdog and counter-balance of mainstream media ..... but only if we continue to make sure that our own house is in order, and that we are every bit as rigorous in researching and presenting the facts, as we demand from our more traditional sources of news.
On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.
Last week, Spookyrach at Skewed View tagged me with a "Four Things Meme," and I responded with this post ..... In turn, I tagged Eric at Fire Ant Gazette, Jim at serotoninrain, Cowtown Pattie at Texas Trifles and Janie at Sounding ForthHere is Eric's response, Jim's and Cowtown Pattie's ..... Janie hasn't responded yet, but she HAS been incredibly busy - even by Janie standards. Here's a day-in-the-life. The fact that she has been blogging through it all is really impressive.
..... this weekend as family enjoys a trip through the actual world. I'm not alone, though ..... and I suspect Midland will be the 'Tall Empty City' this weekend, what, with NMOGA, Texas-OU, hunting and various other out-of-town ventures. Me? As My Favorite Landman's dutiful spouse, I'm attending the first on that list ..... as is Janie, at Sounding Forth, who is doing a much better job of keeping you all in virtual touch this weekend.
Frank at Books, Inq. has been added to the Philadelphia Blogmap, a neat interactive feature that locates blogs in relation to metro transit stations. Frank's at Broad & Locust, get off at the Walnut station.
..... or more, judging by the calls, e-mails and letters-to-the-editor of the Roanoke Times. After three years, the photo is still making the rounds on the internet. The Times' Joe Kennedy wrote this on the debate generated by the photo and its caption when they were published in 2004.For those accusing us of making-up news ..... we don't have to!
Spookyrach at Skewed View has tagged me with a "Four Things Meme" ..... so, here goes .....
Four Jobs I’ve Held:
Carhop; Archaeologist; Newspaper Editor; Freelance Writer
Four Films I Could Watch Over and Over:
Casablanca; The Natural; Harold and Maude; Rocky Horror Picture Show
Four TV Shows I Watch:
Top Chef; Doctor Who; My Name Is Earl; Sunrise Earth
Four Places I’ve Lived:
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Dallas, Pennsylvania; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Midland, Texas
Four Favorite Foods:
Carne Adovada (Asado); Brisket; Pizza; Pot Roast
Four Websites I Visit Daily
msnbc.com; TVNewser at mediabistro.com; Wikipedia; All your blogs, of course!
Four Favorite Colors
Blue; Brown; Red; Gold
Four Places I Would Love to be Right Now
Taos, New Mexico; Manchester, England; Llano, Texas; Lexington/Concord, Massachussetts
Four Names You Love, But Could/Would Not Use for Your Children:
Ian; Gordon ..... that's all I could remember .....
Here are the next four tagees: Eric; Jim; Cowtown Pattie; Janie
.... both took-off fifty years ago. msnbc.com has this great section on the Sputnik anniversary, and the "Little Moon's" impact on space exploration over the past fifty years ..... I'm still waiting for their write-up on MY fiftieth anniversary!
After four months of culinary competition, Season 3 of Top Chef came to an end last night on Bravo TV. All-in-all, I think this year's installment of the series definitely improved on last year's. It is - as always - a show about cooking AND characters ..... face it, when it comes to 'reality' shows, the best way to get more airtime is to be more outrageous in what you say and do - that's show business, even if that's not what you are in real life. This year, though, producers placed a little more emphasis on the cooking, and that helped.
Still, there were characters ..... I noted in my first post on Season 3, that someone who had already established his character presence was Hung, a sous chef from Las Vegas, Nevada, who happened to be a friend of one of season 2's more memorable characters, Marcel. "Somebody has to be the bad guy," Hung said in early promos for Season 3, "and I am really good at it." But, he was also a really good cook ..... and while he was not a front-runner through much of the season, he remained a strong competitor and - following last night's finale - emerged as Top Chef, serving a four course meal, with one course rated as good, two as excellent and a fourth - Duck with Truffle-Scented Broth & Mushroom Ragout - that 'wowed' the judges, one of whom suggested that Hung keep this recipe as one of his signature dishes.
Finishing a close second behind Hung was Dale. Frankly, the fact that he made it to the finale was a surprise to me, albeit a pleasant one. Rarely at the top of the pack through the season, he still displayed a determination to compete well, and to occasionally push 'the edge of his envelope.' Self-taught, Dale has been a chef and consultant for six years, with plans under way to open his own restaurant. He showed increasing strength towards the end of the season, and he might have won last night's finale, had one of his four courses not been less-than-good. By the way, another one of his courses - Seared Scallop with Purslane & Marinated Grapes - also 'wowed' the judges, and also drew the suggestion that he keep it as one of his signature dishes.
Yesterday, October 12, marked the 50th-anniversary of the publication of Ayn Rand’s novel "Atlas Shrugged." It sparked plenty of sales and controversy in its day ..... the controversy continues, unabated, half-a-century later. The sales are down since then ..... but they have remained steady. At more than 1,000 pages, it was Rand's biggest work of fiction ..... and definitive, answering once-and-for-all many of the questions raised by earlier works such as "We, the Living" and "The Fountainhead."
..... and maybe we should cover kids' ears as they do. Former Vice President Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize for spreading awareness of man-made climate change, and ways to counteract it. Some ask whether Gore - now with an Oscar and a Nobel - might be drafted for a 2008 presidential bid. Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and host of “Meet the Press,” thinks that's unlikely.
Eric at Fire Ant Gazette notes with this post that Odessa, Texas has been selected for a branch office of Dunder Mifflin Infinity (DMI), the new online division of Dunder Mifflin, Inc. Paper Company ..... the setting for NBC's much-acclaimed television series, "The Office" .....
..... or more, judging by the calls, e-mails and letters-to-the-editor of the Roanoke Times. After three years, the photo is still making the rounds on the internet. The Times' Joe Kennedy wrote this on the debate generated by the photo and its caption when they were published in 2004.
.... both took-off fifty years ago. msnbc.com has this great section on the Sputnik anniversary, and the "Little Moon's" impact on space exploration over the past fifty years ..... I'm still waiting for their write-up on MY fiftieth anniversary!
Still, there were characters ..... I noted in my first post on Season 3, that someone who had already established his character presence was Hung, a sous chef from Las Vegas, Nevada, who happened to be a friend of one of season 2's more memorable characters, Marcel. "Somebody has to be the bad guy," Hung said in early promos for Season 3, "and I am really good at it." But, he was also a really good cook ..... and while he was not a front-runner through much of the season, he remained a strong competitor and - following last night's finale - emerged as Top Chef, serving a four course meal, with one course rated as good, two as excellent and a fourth - Duck with Truffle-Scented Broth & Mushroom Ragout - that 'wowed' the judges, one of whom suggested that Hung keep this recipe as one of his signature dishes.
Finishing a close second behind Hung was Dale. Frankly, the fact that he made it to the finale was a surprise to me, albeit a pleasant one. Rarely at the top of the pack through the season, he still displayed a determination to compete well, and to occasionally push 'the edge of his envelope.' Self-taught, Dale has been a chef and consultant for six years, with plans under way to open his own restaurant. He showed increasing strength towards the end of the season, and he might have won last night's finale, had one of his four courses not been less-than-good. By the way, another one of his courses - Seared Scallop with Purslane & Marinated Grapes - also 'wowed' the judges, and also drew the suggestion that he keep it as one of his signature dishes.
