Happy 4th!

Torn by David Armand (as Johan Lippowitz)

I love interpretive dance! Ok, not really, but seriously...this is good stuff.

Could it be?

Is the end near?????

Wow, I missed a whole month

Luckily nothing really happens for me to post about anymore. Sure, there’s NDS meddling in the affairs of a duly appointed government. Of course there’s that whole Cleveland sports run that we’re on. Then there’s that entire moving thing that’s moving along, though not as nicely as one would like. I’m still torn as to what to do with this blog, I’m hoping that after getting off of this midnight shift will help with the posting, but that’s not going to happen for at least another month, if not longer.

Ugh.

I haven’t even been able to play much World of Warcraft or update my myspace page. What’s the world coming to?

Haiku(s)

Sometimes late at night, things get pretty boring slinging coffee at the ’Buck. One has to find ways to fill the time, here was my solution from a few nights ago that someone liked.

• The Starbucks coffee


• Tastes so good to so many


• Serve it with a smile

But honestly, that was just too happy for me, so I added a second, more apt haiku.

• The Starbucks coffee


• Caffeine for angry drivers


• Harbinger of doom?

That was much better.

Blame

In lieu of my own incoherent thoughts concerning the VT tragedy, here’s Jeff Harrell

Everybody wants to put the blame someplace

It was the video games. No, wait. It was the violence on television. He snuck in to see an R-rated movie. He read a Bret Easton Ellis novel. He read two Bret Easton Ellis novels. Cover to cover. Twice.

It was the war. It was the glorification of death. It was porn. It was gay porn.

Somehow, it was the President, who let it happen. Or the opposing political party, who didn’t stop it. Or vice versa.

It was the cops, for not having enough security. It was the taxpayers, for not having enough cops.

It was the school pharmacy, for being closed on Sunday. It was the girlfriend, for cheating on her man. It was the other kid, for letting the girl cheat with him.

It was the school for allowing boys and girls to fraternize in the first place.

Oh, no. Wait. How silly of me. Of course it was the guns. Everything will be fine as soon as we get around to banning those.

Then things will be great.

How Did I Miss April Fools Day????

One of the drawbacks of not posting regularly is that you miss wondrous days like April First. At least I got to honor Groundhog’s Day this year, right? Anyway, I’ll just post this here link:

The Museum of Hoaxes Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time

...and say that my all-time favorite is Number 4 - The Taco Liberty Bell. I remember that one from a few years ago. Priceless.

A Lesson We All Should Learn

Desk Jockeyed

In September of 2005, a social studies schoolteacher from Arkansas did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with permission of the school superintendent, the principal, and the building supervisor, she took all of the desks out of the classroom. The kids came into first period, they walked in; there were no desks. They obviously looked around and said, "Where’s our desks?"

The teacher said, "You can’t have a desk until you tell me how you earn them."

They thought, "Well, maybe it’s our grades."

"No," she said.

"Maybe it’s our behavior."

And she told them, "No, it’s not even your behavior."

And so they came and went in the first period, still no desks in the classroom. Second period, same thing. Third period. By early afternoon television crews had gathered in the class to find out about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of the classroom. The last period of the day, the instructor gathered her class.

They were at this time sitting on the floor around the sides of the room. She said, "Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the desks that sit in this classroom ordinarily. Now I’m going to tell you."

She went over to the door of her classroom and opened it, and as she did 27 U.S. veterans, wearing their uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. And they placed those school desks in rows, and then they stood along the wall. By the time they had finished placing the desks, those kids for the first time I think perhaps in their lives understood how they earned those desks.

Their teacher said, "You don’t have to earn those desks. These guys did it for you. They put them out there for you, but it’s up to you to sit here responsibly, to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don’t ever forget it."

As recounted by Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas about Martha Cothren’s military history class at Joe T. Robinson High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

What Makes Me Feel Badly

When I sit down here at my computer and think about blogging, its pretty easy to convince myself that no one reads all of this and that my clickthrough counter really is just going up because of people checking things out rather than looking for some reasonable posting or erstwhile entertainment. Then of course, I run into someone while on vacation in Pennsylvania (of all places) who mentions that they have read the blog.

This does not sit well with me for some reason.

Why? Well now I feel all of this burden of "responsibility". What is that anyway? Who came up with the concept that you have to be accountable for your actions or lack thereof? I’d like to sit down and have a long talk with them, because they’ve ruined a lot of well-intentioned actions. Because seriously, who among us wouldn’t like to rob a bank someday, but no, we have to be "responsible" and not do such things. We have to live in a respectable society so that we can breathe freely and without rampant heists breaking out in every financial institution.

C’mon, admit it, you’ve thought "I wonder if I could get away with..." then your mind trails off for a few moments thinking of how exactly you could fulfill your anti-responsible dream of anarchistic action. You would have to find a driver, craft a cleverly worded note directing the sultry blonde teller that you would like all of the money in her drawer put into one of those cool moneybags with the bank’s name on it, plus her phone number for good measure, because you never know, she may be into the who heist scene and you wouldn’t want to pass that anarchistic action up either. Then, after weeks of planning how to walk out of the building, you totally botch your escape plan by waving to the security camera with a sly smile and a wink that’s sure to make the six o’clock news. Sliding over your getaway car’s hood Dukes of Hazzard style, you jump headfirst into the open passenger window as it takes off into the waiting sunset, disregarding that sunsets happen long after most banks close. Living life on the lam might be a bit tough, bouncing between run-down motels, one step ahead of the law, creditors, and the three or four loan sharks that you’ve not paid in months.

Ah what a life. That’s what all of this responsibility talk keeps us from living. Disappointing I know, but I suppose its for the best.

Reversal

Good Morning Kids! Its 3:45 pm and I’m just rolling out of bed. About a month and a half ago I took a job with Starbucks, evil corporate conglomerate that it is. Oh sure, they put on this aura of helping the environment and all, but lets be honest here, their coffee is expensive because they just happen to like money.

Anyway, there was a midnight position open there and a friend of mine told me to sign up. I’ve worked midnights before and it really doesn’t bother me terribly much, but it does put my whole routine out of sync with the rest of the world. That’s not good for blogging or even just keeping up with things. I should figure out how to post from my cell phone, limited service that I get there, and describe some of the freaks that come in to get coffee at 2:45 am. Actually, they usually order a tall soy mocha because they’re looking out for themselves, but then say go ahead and put whipped cream on top of it, which pretty much blows away the idea of looking out for themselves. It is pretty good stuff though. I do recommend the Hot Chocolate, or even a Cinnamon Dolce Steamer.

But I’m firm in my resolve. I’ve never actually drank Starbucks Coffee.

So you think you can type?

I thought I was pretty good with a keyboard. Sadly, I can only get about halfway through the third stage of this game. Go ahead and make me look bad.

Pepsi NEX game

On the upside, if I can get like five thousand hits on this post, maybe I can get some free Pepsi.

Legalese

Ok, can anyone speak this stuff? Here’s a Quinlan quiz that deals with high-crime areas and how they can have an effect in searching someone. It can be considered one of the factors in reasonable suspicion. If an officer sees two people pass a bag and/or money between between themselves in an area defined as a "high-crime area", there is reasonable suspicion that can lead to a legal search of the people involved.

Yeah, it can hurt the head to overthink this stuff, really, its more common sense. Its a reasonable conclusion to imply that there is something nefarious going on. Also, factor in the "good faith" implications that have been worked out in the courts, the police department here in town shouldn’t have any legal trouble following the Ordinance the Chief has proposed and Council has passed.

Foul Language

Yeah, we’ve all heard it, likely every day, but George Washington’s quote comes to mind:

The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.

Someone did a quick study of profane language being used on blogs over the last six months and the results are interesting.

The News Buckit Story

Someone Gets It

Perhaps you’ve seen the Piltz article in the Courier, if not, its online here. The new chief seems to really understand the position as being more than just pure law enforcement. In today’s world there is a second angle to the job of being a policeman that involves public image that didn’t exist previously. Just look at these two quotes:

"I think Windham really has got great potential; we just have to get out more so the people see us and know we’re taking preventative measures."

"In order to get public opinion to swing your way, you have to show them what you’re doing and what their taxes are paying for," he said. "We want to show them we’re professional, educated, competent and caring, but also that we’re going to be very proactive in law enforcement. I’ve been told that some people don’t want the police department here in the village, but that’s OK because we don’t want those people here,"

Sounds like the Mayor and Council made an excellent choice to replace retired Chief DeSalvo.

Nuke the world

I’ve never in my life wanted to kick a kid as much as I’d love to with this one. Y’know, Greenpeace is an ok organization overall I guess, trying to save the world, though I’d disagree with a lot of points of how to do so, but this really takes the proverbial cake. Single out a strange-looking kid, make him a self-righteous, confrontational, entitled, classwarring, misinformed, save-the-world snob and here’s what happens:

C’mon, admit it, you just want to pour radioactive waste into this kid’s backyard and watch him shriek like the Wicked Witch of the West in her water-fueled death throes. What a world, what a world!!!!!

Its really cold in Cleveland

Here’s a clip from the news last week during the really cold snap we had. Its made its rounds, so some of you have likely seen it.

Free pancakes!

The worst thing about being sick is that you don’t get to enjoy free stuff like this. If you read this before 10:00 pm and can get to Niles, enjoy yourself some free pancakes at IHOP.

National Pancake Day

Down With the Sickness

Ugh, what kid went to school and gave my kids this horrible sickness? Why did my kids decide to give their sickness to myself and their mother? Is this what a migraine feels like? Ugh.

A Song for A Day Like Today

I heard this song on a snowy day way back in 1993, it's my own official winter song.

Its Great to be a Gun-Toting Republican

Because we get to have touching moments like the one found at Six Meat Buffet.

I’m So Proud

Obligatory

Hey there citizens, just checking out a new software program. Please disregard this non-important message. Its pathetically boring. Because its not about anything. Except boring software. I have to actually post something to see if it works well, so here I am with this post. Sorry to waste these precious moments of your day. You could have been surfing the net for the OK Go video or something, but I’ve detained you for too long. Go and be free. Free your mind, and the rest will follow. Blame it on the rain.

Bad news for you alcoholics

Your favorite excuse doesn't work anymore. I read this in a newspaper twelve years ago, but here it is again. Now with shiny internets!

Grape Juice Good for the Heart

LONDON (Reuters) - Grape juice seems to have the same protective effect against heart disease as red wine, French scientists said on Wednesday.

Researchers at the Universite Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg were examining the effect on the heart of Concord grape juice.

"Grape juice can have a similar effect (against heart disease) as red wine but without the alcohol. That is a very important message," said Dr Valerie Schini-Kerth, lead author of the study published in the journal Cardiovascular Research.

Red wine and certain types of grape juice have high levels of polyphenols, which block the production of a protein linked to cardiovascular disease -- the number one killer in many Western countries.

10000

Wow, the push from 9000 to 10000 visitors was pretty quick, and then to top it off, the 10000th came on while I was sleeping yesterday. Normally there would be a big celebration or something, but when I went back and saw that the 10000th visitor was from Connecticut, well, I decided to put it off.

Why?

Because I don't like Connecticut. I find it to be pretentious. They go around saying, "Hi, we're Connecticut, we're better than you. We have a silent 't' in our name, how many other states have a silent 't' in their name? Huh? Do you know? None! So put that in your pipe."

See? I just don't trust folks like that.

Slap Bet

Slap Bet Montage



Add to My Profile | More Videos

I got to see some anti-war hipsters!  Whoohoo!  They had their nifty Peace Surge buttons on and everything!  Plus, one lovely young couple came in dressed to the hilt in wonderfully warm wear, but the young man had wore a beard, which I’m sure he was proud of, but even John Lennon would give him a strange look, it was quite out of place.

Anyway, the hipster moonbats came in, then the oldster moonbats came in later.  I know there was some cane waving down in DC the other day!

Oh, and for better coverage, check out this linkage

Kitten Cannon

Yeah, this is awesome

Kitten Cannon - Presented by AddictingGames.

And your new Council member is...

From the Record Courier

Council names new member
January 18, 2007
By Tom Prusha

WINDHAM -- Village Council this week named Philip C. Snyder to replace Councilman Jason DeBolt, who resigned in December.

Snyder has lived in Windham for more than 50 years and served on the village's board of public affairs and on council. He also was a member of the Windham Board of Education.

He is a baseball coach with the Windham Hot Stove League, softball coach and softball manager, a Cub Scout den leader, Boy Scout Merit Badge Advisor, and Boy Scout executive board member. He belongs to the Friends of the Windham Library.

He is a Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 1040, a charter member of the Kent State University Vietnam Veterans Association. The Second Vice Commander and the Child Welfare Officer of the American Legion Post 674.

Mayor C. James Moore presented his annual report in which he said more income taxes were paid in 2006 than what was expected with the total amounting to $520,747.54.

The East Center and North Main sewer line construction was completed in November 2006 but there are some remaining street and landscaping repairs to be finished this spring.

Community Road construction is expected to be started this year.

You can send roses to the Administrative Office.  No real reason why, just because.

HR 78

Perhaps you’ve missed it in the fray.  HR 78 is a resolution that allows the representatives from the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to vote on the floor of the House, rather than only in the committees to which they’ve been assigned.  There’s a big problem with this.

It violates the United States Constitution.

And its not some obscure line hidden way down in the many lines of the Constitution, Article 1, Section 1 points out that “The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen…by the people of the several states.”  Nice and clear, right?

If HR 78 passes, not anymore.  Thanks Democrat House Leader Steny Hoyer!  We really appreciate your efforts to streamline government!  This will make so much more sense!

Meltdown

From Opinion Journal's "Best of the Web"

"At a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday, Sen. Barbara Boxer quizzed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Iraq strategy. The New York Post is rightly appalled at what Boxer had to say:

"Who pays the price? I'm not going to pay a personal price," Boxer said. "My kids are too old, and my grandchild is too young."

Then, to Rice: "You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family." . . .

The junior senator from California apparently believes that an accomplished, seasoned diplomat, a renowned scholar and an adviser to two presidents like Condoleezza Rice is not fully qualified to make policy at the highest levels of the American government because she is a single, childless woman.

It's hard to imagine the firestorm that similar comments would have ignited, coming from a Republican to a Democrat, or from a man to a woman, in the United States Senate.

Part of the reason this is shocking, of course, is because it breaches feminist etiquette. If Boxer had said this to a male official who had no children, it wouldn't have carried quite the same sting--though it would still be creepy.

We've remarked frequently upon the tendency of war opponents to infantilize American servicemen--by demanding, for example, to know why President Bush hasn't "sent" his daughters to fight in Iraq, as if he had the power as their father to order them to enlist.

In truth, members of the military are adults who have made an adult commitment. They deserve to be respected for their maturity, not patronized as victims. It dishonors them to use their sacrifice as a political cudgel."

Thinking Outside the Box

So I’m perusing the hometown papers and came across something I’d forgotten. At my alma mater, Hiland High School, basketball is king, or in this case, queen. The Classic in the Country is going on this weekend back home. Its a showcase of the best girls basketball teams in Ohio (and other parts). College head coaches fly in to see this thing and its become quite the boom weekend for the area.

They schedule it every year over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend because of his work and the progress made in the area by Perry Reese Jr., legendary boy’s basketball coach of the 80’s and 90’s. Its really quite amazing and is a great weekend of basketball.

Classic in the Country a 'can't miss event'

By ZACH BOLINGER
Daily Record Sports Writer

The Classic in the Country is set for its third go-round, and the girls basketball showcase to be held Saturday through Monday continues to draw rave reviews.

It's ranked as one of the top three high school events in America by the USA Today and it's also drawing a few important new faces this season.

"With a lot of college head coaches having tight schedules, most have sent their assistants to scout the first two years," Hiland coach Dave Schlabach said. "This year we actually have a decent amount of head coaches who have made arrangements to fly into (the Holmes County Airport). They want to come in, see a game of a kid they're recruiting, talk to the family and then be on a private plane out of here."

There are plenty of quality players and games to be seen, as 30 teams will play 20 marquee games over the three-day event hosted by Hiland High School in conjunction with Tom Jenkins and the Ohio Girls Basketball Report. More than 75 Div. I college prospects will take to the Perry Reese Jr. Community Center court between Saturday morning and Monday night.

"I wonder if we can keep saying it year after year, but it should be bigger and better than last year," Schlabach said. "If you look at the player rankings, the state rankings that come out later this week, and the national rankings, it's just unbelievable."

Three of the four reigning Ohio state champions will compete in this year's Classic in the Country. Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (Div. II) is the lone title-holder who will not be on display, but Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (Div. I), South Euclid Regina (Div. III) and Berlin Hiland (Div. IV) will all play in Berlin.

Also joining the host Hawks from the area will be Waynedale and West Holmes.

Waynedale and Lexington tip off the event Saturday at 10 a.m., while West Holmes battles Hoban Monday at 5 p.m. Hiland is the nightcap on two occasions - Saturday at 8:30 versus Fort Recovery and Monday at 8:30 against Garfield Heights Trinity.

"Hoban is an established program with a very solid backcourt," West Holmes coach Matt Voll said. "I feel like our team has gotten out of the chute very well and solidified ourselves as being a good team, but this will be a good test.

"I'm intrigued about how we come out and play in this environment. I am going to learn a lot about my team and I really do think this could act as a springboard for the rest of the season."

Waynedale coach Don McConnell knows his team has a stiff challenge awaiting them.

"We tried to beef up the schedule a little bit to get prepared for tournament time, and to be honest with you, this will be our biggest test of the year," Waynedale coach Don McConnell said. "Lexington has athletes across the board and provide some matchup problems ... but it will be a good opportunity for some of our kids to get some exposure, and for us to play in a tournament-like atmosphere."

The event is not only about good basketball, though.

Intentionally scheduled over the holiday weekend honoring Martin Luther King Jr., the CITC is intended to remember the sacrifices Dr. King made in order to bring about racial harmony in America. It's also meant to remind people of the racial barriers the late, great Hiland boys coach Perry Reese Jr. faced by being the first black coach in Amish Country.

"It's a special event, honoring two special men and held in a special corner of the universe," said Jenkins, the director of OGBR which was voted the No. 1 single-state scouting service in America by NCAA coaches. "The Columbus public schools are not allowed to play on Sunday or Monday in order to honor Dr. King. But to be honest with you, 85 percent of the kids would learn more coming to Berlin and being part of the Classic than they would staying home."

The credit for quality matchups must also go to Jenkins, who projects strength of teams and schedules the CITC games 14 months prior to the event.

Trinity head coach Chrissy Falcone, whose team beat West Holmes in the CITC last season, was sure impressed with the matchups her club received this winter. The Trojans will play the defending Div. I state runner-up (Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame) Sunday and the reigning Div. IV state champions (Berlin Hiland) Monday. After playing Bedford Chanel in a conference game Saturday.

"Do you like that? I did at first, but now I'm not so sure that I do," Falcone joked. "Seriously, though, I didn't request it - but I'm very, very, very excited about it.

"We went 20-3 and 20-2 the last two years, but we had two, three or maybe four decent teams on our schedule. Our schedule has not helped us get ready for the tournament, but I made sure that was going to change this year."

Aside from removing the softball field at the front-entrance area of the Reese Community Center and replacing it with handicapped and regular parking spots, this version of the CITC will not change much.

The sponsorship of 89 area business, and the efforts of close to 250 Holmes County volunteers, will again help the event run smoothly.

Hopefully the college coaches flying in will have as smooth a landing.

And perhaps for our community’s part, this is pertinent…

Dreaming big has paid off for CITC

By AARON DORKSEN
Daily reocrd Sports Editor

A few thoughts from the week in sports ...

If you dream big, there's no telling what the result might be.

Just look at what the folks in Holmes County have done with the Classic in the Country Challenge.

Mmm, cookies

And in another food themed post, let’s talk Girl Scout Cookies.

If you frequent The Forum, you know that Sonya’s Troop 555 is now observing that long standing tradition of teaching young girls the secrets of Big Business. The unmitigated evil of Girl Scout Cookies is making another appearance in the earth, bringing us one step closer to Global Annihilation.

And they’ve coerced my two daughters into their subversive web.

So if you want some “stuff”, you know where to get it. If you live within 1000 feet of a school or any building that children frequent, we’ll have to set up a meeting.

I'll never (part seventeen)

Of course, the number of the parts to this particular category number more than seventeen easily, but as the Farmer said, “that’ll do”.

17. I’ll never sit down in Cal’s again.

Oh I know, this is gonna be one of the harder nevers to keep, because we are, after all, dealing with food, and personally, I kind of like food. Rumor has it that you need it to survive or something, I really wasn’t paying that close attention in biology class. There was this really cute little red-headed girl that sat in the row next to me who was far more interesting than hearing discussions of mitochondrial RNA or the such like. But I digress.

My parents owned a restaurant during my formative years. We did ok, nothing spectacular, but there was always food around, good customers, close friends, and a girl (now woman) who I may be working for when we move back to the area, which honestly is not exactly irony, but something closely resembling it. I took her to my Junior Prom. The guys at school were jealous. Something that wasn’t directed toward me very often in High School, so I drank it in. There’s nothing like a little envy directed your way to really bolster that self-esteem. So anyway, I think I know a few things about being a restauranteur.

There are two keys to running a successful restaurant. Without these two things, a restaurant will have a great deal of trouble and never really get much more than breaking even. First, you have to give the customer just a little more than they expect. There’s no need to go overboard with anything. You don’t give a customer a filet mignon for $3.98 a plate. That’s just insane. You do give him just a slightly larger steak than expected. You give them a few more fries than a normal serving. Make the glasses just a little larger than what someone has at home. It doesn’t have to be grossly larger to the point of being noticeable; just a bit. The second key is quick service. No one likes to wait, but we all have different ideas of what waiting too long is. This is where the owner or manager needs to step in with the waiting staff to show them what a customer who is ready looks like. This is a developed skill, there are very few people who are born with the ability to look at someone and know what they are thinking. Generally it is a general disinterest in the menu, noticing that the eyes aren’t focused at the table anymore, things along those lines.

Put simply, I waited too long this evening. You may say that never going back is being a bit trifling about the whole situation, but this isn’t the first time its been this way. I’ve always been pleased with the serving sizes there, but there is a continual lack of attentiveness on the part of the wait staff which grates at my nerves. We’re still polite and offer a nice tip at the end of the night, but it isn’t nearly what it could be with excellent service.

Luckily we have a restaurant here in town that for a while now has been offering excellent service and ideal portion size (I’ve noticed!) that draws people back. Even those of us who kind of forget those points sometimes.

Thank the Democrats!

Finally, some good news!

For all of 2006, the nation's unemployment rate dropped to a six-year low of 4.6 percent as the economy added 1.8 million jobs. In 2005, the unemployment rate averaged 5.1 percent.

Oh wait, that was 2006, who was in power then?  I think I’ve suddenly caught the amnesia that the AP has had for the last four years.

167,000 Jobs Added to Payrolls in Dec

Why I Love Google Ads

Right now, they’re showing ads for the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Maybe I’ll finally get a visit from them again now! 

Some Randomness

The Discovery Channel totally rocks!  Dirty Jobs, MythBusters, It Takes A Thief…and the list goes on and on.  If you (or your kids) aren’t taking in some of this stuff, you’re really missing out.

My obscene passion of the moment is anything Doctor Who.  Yeah, I’m geeking out with British television, even watching the Torchwood series playing in Britain right now, but really, its good stuff.

MySpace is both the coolest thing in the world, and the scariest.

How can any adult forget the old adage, fifteen will get you twenty?

Is it just me or is the Villager much smaller lately, old media it is, but it is definitely worthwhile.  Make sure to pick it up and patronize its advertisers.

For that matter, patronize Windham’s businesses.  The return on investment will be worthwhile.

Oh I'm getting around to it

Seriously, one of these days, I’ll be inspired.  Maybe its the tree coming down today, or the putting away of the Christmas decorations.  Perhaps its the furniture rearrangement.  Things are sliding back to normal.

Now, on to those pesky resolutions that are destined to be broken by Friday.