Monthly Archives: August 2009

So I took a little time off

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beach-babies1

Rather than keep complaining about the fact that our governor had been on vacation more days than he’d worked since mid-June while I, the unemployed guy, kept his nose to grindstone job-hunting, I figured I’d just take some time off, too.

So my wife and I joined my oldest daughter and her three kids down at Surfside. We drove down on Friday, and came back today. And I couldn’t post from the beach the way I did back here (the weekend before I was laid off), because the newspaper kept the laptop.

Of course, I could have borrowed my daughter’s laptop. But I chose instead to spend my time more fruitfully — such as going to the beach with the girls. Above you see a fair representation of the twins‘ enthusiasm for the ocean. They love it SO much that it’s a good thing I was there, because it took three adults and their big sister just to keep them from heading for the Gulf Stream. They charged the surf like this even when their hands weren’t held.

So yeah, I could have been blogging. But look what I would have missed.

Everybody has his (or her) own sense of humor

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Have you see the commercial — I think it’s for wireless services (I’d give you a link if I could remember the product) — that has a family sitting on their patio, and the teenage boy is saying (this is an approximation), “And Dad — cut it out with the Twitter updates…”?

The middle-aged Dad, completely unmindful, is gleefully muttering aloud as he types with his thumbs on his phone, “… am sitting on the patio…”

For some reason, my wife finds this ad hysterically funny. I guess each and every person has his or her own distinctive sense of humor…

Gates saga gets treatment it so richly deserves

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Credit to Stan Dubinsky for bringing this item in The Boston Globe to our attention:

(A street in Cambridgeham. Most Exalted University Professor HENRY LOUIS GATES, freshly returned from the Land of the Asian Khan, is rattling the door of his keep. Enter a WENCH.)

WENCH: Alarum! Alarum! A thief is about!

GATES: Peace, ye fat guts!

(Enter SHERIFF CROWLEY)

CROWLEY: Stay, now! Who disturbs our peaceful shire?

GATES: I disturb no man. My key unlocketh not.

CROWLEY: Forsooth, thou breakest and enterest.

GATES (entering his castle): I break not for witless constables. Begone!

CROWLEY: Back speaks no man to the Sheriff; I arrest thee!

GATES: Knowest thou whom I am? That I am coy with the Daily Beastmistress, Milady Tina? That I am most down with Lady Oprah, the Queen of afternoon tele-dalliances? That I am sworn liege to Dr. Faust, of whom Marlowe wrote? That I unravelest literary mysteries at the Greatest University Known to Man?

CROWLEY: Of Tufts you speak? Even so, thou art under arrest.

GATES: Thou detaineth me because I am a Moor!

CROWLEY: Some of my best friends are Moors. Your pleas availeth not.

GATES: You shall rue the day you crost my threshold….

… and so forth. ‘Tis a silly tale, but enjoyable withal.

Steve Benjamin’s announcement

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FYI, here’s the official word I got from Steve Benjamin today:

Dear Friend,

I am running for mayor of Columbia, and I want you to be among the first to know.

In the city elections just eight months away, we will face a clear choice – change or more of the same in Columbia.  As a business leader, a resident of Columbia for over twenty years, and a member of dozens of community boards, I have dedicated my life to bringing about real and dramatic change in my community.  That’s what I intend to do as the next mayor of our state’s capital city. I’ll focus on bringing people together, and, when necessary, blowing past the bureaucracy and holding people accountable.

I hope you will join our campaign to change the way our city does business.

The single most important priority right is creating and attracting jobs. With all that Columbia has to offer, we should be doing better than the rest of the country when it comes to jobs – not trailing behind. And we can’t be content with just creating jobs in one part of the city. Every neighborhood is important and has a role to play, and each neighborhood deserves our attention.

My plan will turn Columbia around by focusing on the basics:

•    Making sure Columbia is open and friendly to business and to create new jobs for the future.
•    Bringing accountability, transparency and fiscal responsibility to City Hall.
•    Cutting wasteful spending and turning our city’s deficit into a balanced budget.
•    Getting our first responders the resources they need.
•    Teaming up with law enforcement to crack down on gang violence and keeping our families and businesses safe from crime.
•    Listening to the needs of every community in our city.

I will be a strong mayor, demanding results and accepting responsibility for what happens in our city.

I invite you to visit us online by clicking here. Be sure to sign up to receive campaign developments and strategy updates. Our full website is in the works and will be unveiled soon.

I look forward to sharing my ideas and vision with you over the coming months, and I welcome your input, your suggestions, your prayers, and your support.

Thank you, and let’s get to work.


Steve Benjamin

For more information, here’s what The State had on Steve’s candidacy today, and here’s the column I wrote on the subject shortly before I left the aforementioned newspaper. I made James Joyce allusions and everything…

This year’s worst idea: Lowering the drinking age

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Something I almost posted just before leaving for PA Sunday, but didn’t have time… Reacting to this story in The State Sunday morning:

South Carolina’s legal drinking age could return to 18 for the first time in more than 25 years if two recent court rulings in Richland and Aiken counties are upheld on appeal.

Longtime Richland County Magistrate Mel Maurer on July 15 ruled that the state law prohibiting youths ages 18 through 20 from possessing or consuming liquor was unconstitutional. The current legal drinking age is 21.

On July 23, Aiken County Chief Magistrate Rodger Edmonds ruled that law and a similar law involving the possession and consumption of beer and wine in the 18-20 age group were unconstitutional.

Actually, I did post something about it on Twitter, and it caused a discussion on Facebook — not about what the law IS, but about what it should be.

There were the mature-minded folk (of course) who agreed with me that letting kids drink was a particularly horrible idea, and jeers and protests from the Party Hearty crowd. I heard the usual non-sequitur arguments, such as, if they’re old enough to fight for their country, etc. Folks, the two things have nothing to do with each other. The qualifications to be a soldier and those required to handle drinking responsibly are not the same — entirely different skill set. Ditto with voting. You might be qualified to do all three, but you might not. There’s no cause-and-effect relationship there.

Having been an 18-year-old who could drink legally I know whereof I speak — this is a HORRIBLE idea. And I marvel that anyone could advocate for it. It just can’t be rationalized in any way that is persuasive.

Oh, and while I’m at it, 16-year-olds shouldn’t be driving.

Anyway, Joe McCulloch says we need to amend the constitution if we want drinking by 18-year-olds to remain illegal. Let’s get started. Anybody have a petition? I’ll sign it.

Get right to the point, why don’t you…

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Just now cleaned out my junk e-mail folder, and I think this sets a record for brevity in the genre:

Greetings

I am Mr Peter T. C Lee, C.E.O of Hang Seng Bank Ltd{www.hangseng.com} in Hong-Kong.I have a CONFIDENTIAL business worth US$25,500,000 to be consumated between you and i,please consider as urgent and contact me STRICTLY on this e-mail address for details:-

Email:- ptlee09@aol.com

Kind regards,
Peter T. C Lee

Most of these (and there were several in my junk folder from the last few days) take a little time to gain your confidence and reel you in, such as this one:

ENDEAVOUR TO USED IT FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD

Mrs Susan fernando.
I am the above named person from Kuwait. I am married to Dr SAZON FERNANDO who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2005.We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christians.Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against.When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of 18Million Dollars (eighteen Million United State Dollars) with one finance/security company in Amsterderm-Netherlands. Presently This money is still with the Security Company. Recently my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next three months due to cancer problem. Though what disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this Fund to church or better still a christian individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here in. I want a church that will use this funds to fund churches orphanages and widows propagating the word of God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained. The Bible made us to understand that Blessed is the hand that giveth. I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don’t want my husband’s hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers. I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner. Hence the reason for taking this bold decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS
14 says that the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace. I don’t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health and because of the presence of my husband’s relatives around me always. I don’t want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Finance/Security Company in Amsterderm-Netherlands. I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the original- beneficiary of this Funds. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the lord is my shephard. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life. Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing for a church or christian individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. Hoping to hearing from you. I have set aside 20% for you and for your time and 10% for any enpense if there is any . Remain blessed in the name of the Lord. Yours in Christ Mrs. susan fernando

But hey, if you want to give me $25 million, I say get to the point — don’t leave me hanging…

Where I’ve been, in less than 140 characters at a time

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I may not know where I’m going (especially careerwise, and I’m eager to find out), but I can tell you where I’ve been.

You may have noticed I haven’t blogged the last couple of days — at least, not in this format. That’s because I drove to Pennsylvania on Sunday, and drove back Monday. I was pretty tired Monday night, but on the whole it was a good, enjoyable trip. I was driving, man! I knew time! I knew it! I was humming down the Shenandoah Valley in a stiff, jumpy Corolla — held the road like a prehistoric bird, you understand, ahem yes! (Apologies to Dean Moriarty, Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey and Tom Wolfe).

I didn’t have a laptop with me, but I had my Blackberry, so yesterday I set myself the task of blogging (if you count Twitter, and it is indeed a truncated form of blogging) across six states. And NO, I didn’t type these while driving, but pulled off the road and came to a complete stop in a safe place each time. (In some places I posted two or three tweets before moving on.) The day started with breakfast with my daughter at my favorite PA spot, then she and I picked up the rental, then had a nice time walking around town in that beautiful weather until almost 10. Then I started the drive back alone. Looking and listening for things to pull over and post about helped keep me alert:

Just ate at the Middlesex Diner, my favorite spot in central PA. Those great fat sausages I can’t get at home…6:57 AM Aug 3rd from web

Just rented Toyota Corolla. Steering wheel awkwardly placed. Nowhere to put elbows. Nice car, though. Beautiful day in central PA…9:15 AM Aug 3rd from web

Twittering across 6 states. Just crossed Mason Dixon Line, our North-South Checkpoint Charlie…10:42 AM Aug 3rd from web

I’m briefly in Maryland, where the 1st Warthen to come to America settled in the 1630s… 10:44 AM Aug 3rd from web

West Va. provides a short stretch of speed between tighter limits of Md and Va…10:56 AM Aug 3rd from web

Picked up free map at W. Va. welcome center. Good intel to have, just in case…10:59 AM Aug 3rd from web

Hint for writer of country song I just heard; “Move” & “love” don’t rhyme, no matter how they look…about 24 hours ago from web

Passed an aging biker who thought he was showing muscles — loose arm skin rippling in wind…about 24 hours ago from web

Another country song, this one an oldie, tries to rhyme “New Mexico” and “loved her so.” Ow, my ears…about 23 hours ago from web

Shenandoah Valley unspeakably beautiful as always. In Virginia, today’s 4th state…about 23 hours ago from web

I’m at the Barnes & Noble in Harrisonburg, Va., getting Starbucks. My kind of rest stop…about 22 hours ago from web

Gimme a break! Just heard Jim DeMint on radio in Virginia!!! Argghhh! There’s no escape…about 22 hours ago from web

I’m pausing in North Carolina just long enough to figure out that I’m only 132 miles from home…about 17 hours ago from web

Back home to SC, 6th state of the day. Just turned in Corolla. It gave me a nice ride — 30 mpg…about 15 hours ago from web

Yes, I realize — kind of a silly and trivial accomplishment, Twittering in six states in one day. But that’s how I get through a long drive on the rare occasions that I have to make a long drive alone: I set myself little goals. Drive so much farther, and I’ll get something to eat. Drive this much farther, and I’m exactly one-third of the way. Get coffee, then see how far I can go (without speeding) before it’s just the right temperature.

And so forth. Twittering served this purpose fairly well. Although you’ll notice that most of the posts are in the first third of the distance. After Harrisonburg, I decided I had to stop stopping if I were to get home before I got too tired. Besides, after Virginia there were only two states left — one stop for gas, and another one at home…

Are these critters weird, or what?

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cicada-closeup

They sound weird, and they look like they’re from another planet.

That’s about all I’ve got to say about these things, except to explain that I was happy with the way the autofocus on my camera actually focused on what I wanted it to for a change, so that I could blow this up and still have it look like something.

Also, I figured y’all were tired of looking at that picture from the Sanford press conference, hence the new header…