Pulling for Robbie

Our good friends Bob and Debbie Greenberger have two terrific kids. Katie has just graduated from my alma mater, and Robbie was just beginning college when he was diagnosed with leukemia.

It's been a dramatic, up-and-down, scary year for the Greenbergers, and just recently, Robbie was told that the leukemia had returned.

That sent me running to the National Marrow Donor Foundation to learn about becoming a marrow donor. Unfortunately, it looks like they wouldn't take me, but that doesn't mean that I can't urge you to get yourself registered. The odds that your marrow could help Robbie are small, but, of course, you never know... and even if you can't help Robbie, perhaps you can help someone else, and the person you help might tell his friends to check, and that person's marrow could help Robbie.

Meanwhile, join me in continuing to pull for Robbie... and for anyone who is facing this grim circumstance.

Only George Carlin Would Have the Appropriate Words for This

I'm always relieved when someone is delivering a eulogy and I realize I'm listening to it. -- George Carlin, 1937-2008

When Bobby Fischer had yet to completely flip his lid and was taking Boris Spassky to the woodshed in Reykjavik, my friend Tommy D'Agostino and I were playing a 24-game chess championship for Herschell Street in the Bronx. Tommy was two years younger than me, but already savvy beyond his years, because early on he realized that all he had to do to defeat me was to utter the first few words of one of George Carlin's standup routines. "I was fired from the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas..." he would start, innocently, and before I had finished side one of FM and AM, he would have taken my queen, a rook, and two knights without losing so much as a pawn.

I once described Carlin as my philosopher saint, and I believe that's still as apt a description of his influence on my life as can be assessed. For whatever reason, Carlin's defiance of authority, his love of inappropriate juxtaposition, and his joy at the meaning of and reaction to words clicked with me. It wasn't just because he was saying rude things that Carlin's sense of language made sense to me. It was because he so often zeroed in on exactly how people use language to divide and affront others. He once proposed replacing the word "kill" with the deadliest of the seven deadly words that couldn't be said on television. Those who could not stretch their brains only got offended; they missed wholly that Carlin's point is that it's not words that are the problem, but the emotion behind them. Penn Jellette's Showtime series, Bullshit, interviewed a woman who refused to use any of those seven deadly words, but who had no problem using a different deity's name to take in vain, and didn't understand why "fiddlesticks" wasn't much different than the banned-in-mixed-company-and-by-the-FCC four-letter word beginning with the letter f.

Carlin also zoomed in on hypocrisy. In the 1970s, he made fun of the U.S. strategy of exiting Vietnam "through Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand." He chided the conviction of Muhammad Ali. Ali, he said made money by beating people up, but wouldn't kill them; the government, he then observed, said that if Ali wouldn't kill people, it wouldn't let him beat them up.

In later years, I found myself finding some of his bits less appealing than others. Those bits of his (and any comedian's) concentrating on scatology tended to bore me. But he also refined his wordplay, and those later bits about words were simply amazing.

Many of the reports of his death today mentioned that he was the first host of Saturday Night Live (and also mentioned that he was looped on cocaine). Maybe one of the good things about Carlin's death is that it will finally make NBC realize that SNL has been a television zombie for too many years. (I think Carlin would have gotten that; he also would have said it funnier.)

I am the proud possessor of a set of George Carlin-autographed LPs. It disturbs me that many younger people will file Carlin in that time in history where the spoken word was primarily distributed on vinyl. But we have his books and his CDs and his tapes and his DVDs and his website , and, I'd also imagine, hundreds of thousands of folks like me who carry a little bit of Carlin's brain, his attitude, and his pessimism around every day.

Mostly, It's An Excuse to Show Halle Berry in a Bra

Since the spouse's latest novel, Introducing Sonika, is about super-heroes, one of her writer pals, Judith Laik, forwarded this link judging super-hero costumes in the movies.

Granted, I'm biased because I like the spouse's novel (screenplay available for option, by the way) and especially the little tattoo she's got under her skintight suit, but it's true that one of the things that movies have often gotten wrong is the super-suit. Part of the problem is that many original super-suits aren't practical. One of our Legion fan friends, Paul Decker, once said of a fan-submitted costume design that the heroine wearing a necklace with a large stone would find herself getting smacked in the face with it a lot. (Actually, Paul said she'd get "knocked up a lot," but then Paul was also wont to break into Ethel Merman versions of Beach Boys tunes at the time.)

I'm a big fan of super-heroes who are the type that would be the hero of an Alfred Hitchcock film -- ordinary person thrust into extraordinary circumstances. This means that, while I grew up in the DC universe, where Superman is basically a god sent by his father sent to live among humans and many of the other characters are destined for their heroism (Hal Jordan's Green Lantern, Wonder Woman; even Batman is a prince of wealth), it's Stan Lee's take on super-heroes that appeals to me: a high school nerd is bitten by a radioactive spider and has to balance super-heroism with passing social studies and earning a few bucks to help support ailing Aunt May.

I then think what I'd do if I suddenly had some sort of amazing ability (other than the stupid human trick powers I have, like turning my eyelids inside out). First of all, would I even turn to fighting crime? Actually, Peter Parker didn't originally, either; his suit was meant for wear in a wrestling ring. I'd probably just travel about in a sweatsuit. Or, if I looked like Sonika , something skintight. (Of course, if I looked like Sonika, I don't think I'd be married to her creator.) Something Lance Armstrong might wear, I guess.

Actually, maybe a baseball uniform. Stretchy, not too garish.

I haven't done the research, but it looks like Will Smith's upcoming super-hero film, Hancock, is about a super-hero with no costume. If that's the case, that just seems most reasonable to me.

But then again, it'll never compare to Halle Berry in a bra.

Lorraine Broertjes Should Have Told Me About This!

Worst album cover of all time?

After all, my honorary older brother Harry's spouse works at the Sun-Sentinel!

So instead, I get it forwarded to me by college pal and former co-WRGW college radio DJ Brian Lehrhoff (saying that he got it from the bass player from It's A Beautiful Day).

Unfortunately, it's too late to add your own covers to this wonderful, wonderful list.

Can Anyone Confirm These?

Republicans

Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
Tom Delay: did not serve.
House Whiip Roy Blunt: did not serve.
Bill Frist: did not serve.
Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
George Pataki: did not serve.
Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
Rick Santorum: did not serve.
Trent Lott: did not serve.
Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
Jeb Bush: did not serve.
Karl Rove: did not serve.
Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." This is the "patriot" who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism.
Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
Vin Weber: did not serve.
Richard Perle: did not serve.
Douglas Feith: did not serve.
Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
Richard Shelby: did not serve.
Jon Kyl: did not serve.
Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
Christopher Cox: did not serve.
Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as aviator and flight instructor.
George W. Bush: six-year Nat'l Guard commitment (in four).
Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role
Gerald Ford: Navy, WWII
Phil Gramm: did not serve.
John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
Bob Dole: an honorable veteran.
Chuck Hagel: two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, Vietnam.
Duke Cunningham: nominated for Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Silver Stars, Air Medals, Purple Hearts.
Jeff Sessions: Army Reserves, 1973-1986
JC Watts: did not serve.
Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
G.H.W. Bush: Pilot in WWII. Shot down by the Japanese.
Tom Ridge: Bronze Star for Valor in Vietnam.
Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
Clarence Thomas: did not serve

Conservative Commenators

Sean Hannity: did not serve.
Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
Michael Savage: did not serve.
George Will: did not serve.
Chris Matthews: did not serve.
Paul Gigot: did not serve.
Bill Bennett: did not serve.
Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
Bill Kristol: did not serve.
Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
Michael Medved: did not serve.

Democrats

Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-'47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V Purple Hearts.
John Edwards: did not serve.
Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-1953.
Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII, receiving the Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and Soldier's Medal.
Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
Chuck Robb: Vietnam
Howell Heflin: Silver Star
George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received 311.
Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.
Wesley Clark: U.S. Army, 1966-2000, West Point, Vietnam, Purple Heart, Silver Star. Retired 4-star general.
John Dingell: WWII vet
John Conyers: Army 1950-57, Korea

The Solution to the World's Food Problems?

Saw this post from the New York Times about a fruit called synsepalum dulcificum (or "miracle berry" more simply) that makes sour foods taste sweet, and makes other foods taste wholly differently as well.

I guess the main problem right now is that the fruit costs $2 each, but if it can take unpleasant flavors and make them tolerable, perhaps it's a way to stretch the world's food supply. For instance, I will not, will not, eat liver (or most organ meats), though it's possible that liver that tastes like -- oh, maple syrup -- would be less of a problem for me. One wonders what other foods not enjoyed by westerners, but eaten in other cultures -- insects, bird fetuses, and the like -- might not be made more tolerable by the addition of this fruit (or its artificially reproduced chemical component).

It might also wind up being a good thing for picky children to be given, at least surreptitiously. If peas tasted like Pez, would they no longer be fed to the dog?

Already I can see the drug user's mind wandering. What would this stuff be like with a hallucinogen? I'm sure some sexual experimentation is going on with it, too.

Of course, right now it's all conjecture for me, since I haven't tried it. But I do believe I'd like to find it, and, when I do, there will be a test at the Flynn household.

Wonder if PCC will stock it? (I did find this site offering places to buy, but unlike Alton Brown, I do not just rush out and buy things on the Internet if I don't know the companies involved.)

Not Funny

A joke forwarded to me by my cousin Joe Lo Pue (subject line, "Sad, But True"):

When I got home from work last night, my wife insisted that I take her out to some place expensive...

So I took her to a gas station!

It arrived the day I first bought $4 gas -- for our 1987 Nissan, which we bought when we could still pay less than 80 cents a gallon.

Picture Without A Caption

The End of the World Is On Trial in Hawaii

Asking a Judge to Save the World, and Maybe a Whole Lot More
Source: The New York Times

Two men think a giant particle accelerator that will begin smashing protons together outside Geneva this summer might produce a black hole or something else that will spell the end of the Earth — and maybe the universe.

Apparently, it's slightly possible that the particle accelerator built in Geneva, Switzerland, could create a small black hole, or a strangelet. Small doesn't sound so bad, except a small black hole is enough to swallow the Earth. And a strangelet would reduce the Earth to a lump of matter the size of your fist.

Despite decades of science fiction movies warning us what might happen if we mess with the laws of nature, scientists are apparently determined to ignore all possibilities as they proceed to investigate the next step.

This isn't the first time scientists have crossed their fingers when playing with primordial forces. The scientists of the Manhattan Project weren't 100% certain that their first nuclear weapon wouldn't create an unstoppable chain reaction that would incinerate the planet. Apparently, they were emboldened by their success, and with each decade more and more crazy things are attempted. Ears grown on mice. Glow-in-the-dark pigs. Square watermelons. Plastic from plants.

I really don't want to stop scientific inquiry. Often, it's good. I like TiVo, I remember television in black and white before you could see the Olympics live from half the globe away.

But still. Sheesh. This isn't like shipping an order to the wrong address. If physicists are wrong -- whammo!

Maybe we all know it's coming, and that's why we're running up the credit cards.

Another Amazing Use of Technology

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HOW TO WIN AN EBOOK READER

Okay, so you aren't buying the wonderful books written by Eilis Flynn because you don't have a book reader.

Here's your chance to win one from one of Cerridwen's authors:

Sunday, February 24, 2008
FIRST ANNUAL CERRIDWEN SPRING GIVEAWAY
The Cerridwen Press Spring Contest
READERS!!! BE SURE AND CHECK OUT THIS VERSION OF THE RULES FOR THE FIRST ANNUAL CERRIDWEN SPRING GIVEAWAY. IT CONTAINS THE UPDATED LIST OF THE WEBSITES YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT.
Here are the rules for the First Annual Cerridwen Spring Giveaway:
· The Grand Prize winner must be a United States resident (due to mailing and custom costs, we cannot ship the grand prize out of the country).
· You must be a member of the Cerridwen Chat Yahoo group to participate in this contest. All clues and contest information will be posted on that loop. To subscribe, send a blank email to: cerridwenchat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
· You cannot share information about the contest with other readers. All participants should act independently.
· Every day, starting on March 1 and ending on March 15, a clue will be posted on the Cerridwen Chat loop. This clue will lead you to a specific web site or blog location. You must find the hidden/special word on that web site or blog. There will be fifteen words to find, one for each day of the contest. The word will be in a special font, something like this so it will stand out and you should be able to see it easily. If you want to be eligible for the grand prize, you have to find these words. Note the word and the location where you found it.
· You also need to find a tree icon and note that location. Beginning on March 1, look for the tree icon on the web site or blog of the participating authors (see the author list at the end of this page). Make a note of the location of the tree icon or blog.
· The contest ends on March 15 at 5 PM. The tree icons and the 'secret words' will be removed from the author locations at that time.
· Assemble the words you've found into a sentence. Send the sentence and the location of the tree icons you found in the following format in the body of an email to GreenBookFriend@yahoo.com.
Sentence: write your sentence here
Location of Secret words:
1st word: http://www.websitename.com/website page.htm
2nd word: http://www.blogorwebname.com/date (if blog)
3rd word:
4th word: and so on ....
Tree Location 1: http://www.websitename.com/websitepage.htm
Tree Location 2: http://www.blogspotname.com
Tree Location 3:
and so on .....
· You will need to find 15 words and 13 trees for a total of 28 entries. Sound like a lot? It is, but the prize is pretty big, too!
· E-mail your response by 5 PM (central standard time) on March 16. No entries will be accepted after that time.
· The grand prize winner will be chosen from those who submit correct responses.
· Winners will be announced on the Cerridwen Chat loop on March 20, the first day of spring, at 5 PM (central time). Winners will also be notified by email.
Prizes
· Grand Prize: A Rocket 1200 Ebook reader with 7 downloads already loaded. A picture of this model is at the end of these rules. Complete instructions will be provided for using the reader and for transferring books to the reader.
THIS IS NOT AN EBOOKWISE ebook reader. You cannot directly download books to the Rocket Ebook reader. In order to use the Rocket Ebook reader, you will need to use GEB Librarian software or the REBlibrarian PC software. Both are available for purchase for a minimal cost ($20-$30).
You will also need a Compact Flash reader/writer device for your PC. These are available at any computer store for approximately $15-$30.
See http://www.chromakinetics.com/REB1200/move.htm for an overview of the process used to transfer content to this reader. We will also provide instructions for device use.
This is a used device. The cover is slightly scratched but the reading screen is clear and unmarred. The device is in good working order. It will be shipped to you with the winning books already loaded and will include instructions for adding new content, a spare rechargeable battery, and a power adapter (to recharge the unit). This device operates for 5-6 hours on a fully charged battery.
· Runner-up: 6 downloaded books, emailed to you
· ..:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" />1st place: 5 downloaded ebooks, emailed to you
· 2nd place: 4 downloaded ebooks, emailed to you
· 3rd place: 3 downloaded ebooks, emailed to you
This contest is sponsored by the authors listed here.
It is not sponsored by Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen Press nor affiliated with that company.
These authors will have a tree icon on their web site or blog for you to find starting on March 1:
Amy Corwin: http://www.amycorwin.com
Charlene Leatherman http://www.charleneleatherman.com
Catherine Berlin http://www.CatherineBerlin.com
Dorothy McFalls http://www.dorothymcfalls.com
J L Wilson http://www.jayellwilson.com
Janet Miller http://www.janetmillerromance.com
Lise Fuller http://lisefuller.com
Liz Jasper http://lizjasper.com
Marianne Stephens http://mariannestephens.net
Ariana Dupre http://melissaa.com
Micqui Miller http://www.micquimiller.com
Vicky Burkholder http://www.vickyburkholder.com
Jude Atkins http://www.judeatkins.com
Jean C. Gordon http://www.JeanCGordon.com
These authors are participating in the Secret Word part of the contest (some authors may be participating in both: tree and word). You will receive a clue by noon on each day to find out where to find the secret word.
Amy Corwin Jenyfer Matthews Liz Jasper
Frances Stockton Mary Ann Chulik Vicky Burkholder
Sam Cheever N.D. Hansen-Hill Eilis Flynn
Terri Thackston Terry Odell Micqui Miller
Karen McCullough Jude Atkins Sharon Horton

Enjoy the hunt!
And let's all look forward to spring!!!

Posted by Charlene Leatherman at 4:40 PM

Super-Hero Babe!

Super-heroines need a little romance, too!

The newest from Eilis Flynn!

INTRODUCING SONIKA, now out and ready to buy! Women want to be her, men want to be with her!

Also available:

THE SLEEPER AWAKES
Seattle librarian Cat Deveney falls into a coma and awakes in a land where she may be the answer to a prophecy... but is it -- and the warrior with whom she falls in love -- real?


FESTIVAL OF STARS
She embraces her heritage, he denies it... how can they be together? A Japanese fairy tale provides the backdrop for this modern story of love and loss.