Nominate, nominate, nominate
The current round of featured blog nominations is under way at Philly Future. Any Philly folks out there willing to nominate someone? Click here.
the smedley log - suburban scrawl
Quote of the day (for two weeks ago)
It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.
-G. K. Chesterton
And that’s without using the trees in my neck of the woods
America’s Hometown points out that Pennsylvania is fifth in Maple syrup production nationwide. As someone who grew up amidst a plethora of Maple trees with a love for Maple syrup, I’m surprised I never knew as much about Maple syrup as Friedman explains in one brief paragraph. Check it out.
Nurture
If a child sees his parents day in and day out behaving with self-discipline, restraint, dignity and a capacity to order their own lives, then the child will come to feel in the deepest fibers of his being that this is the way to live. If a child sees his parents day in and day out living without self-restraint or self-discipline, then he will come in the deepest fibers of being to believe that that is the way to live.
-M. Scott Peck
I remember about four years ago attending the baptism of a good friend’s first child. I wrote a message in the card I gave to her and her husband; it was somewhere along the lines of the quote above. Having grown up in a home that wasn’t always the child-rearing ideal, I know that good strong people can come from even less than ideal situations, but I still think the best chance a child has lies in seeing consistent examples of healthy behavior from his or her parents. It’s one of the reasons I questioned whether or not I’d make a good Godfather. After all, part of the role of being a Godparent, if taken seriously, is to provide a good example.
My heart’s always been in the right place, but my head (as Bono once lyricized) is sometimes “somewhere in between.” My life is a struggle for consistency, but I’m still struggling, so I won’t signal defeat yet. In contrast, my sister and brother-in-law, who chose me as a Godparent to their children, are among the very best parents I’ve ever seen in action. So are the friends whose child’s baptism I attended four years ago. I hope, if I should ever have a child of my own, that I’ll have even a modicum of the strength I see in people like them.
And this is my convoluted way of wishing the same to all the other parents out there, whether you’re dealing with the sleepless nights of new parenthood, or a different variety of sleepless nights sometimes caused by children of older ages. I have a few specific parents floating in and out of my mind as I type this, but even if you’re a total stranger reading this, take the wish as if it were just for you. If you’re a parent, you’re by far the best chance your child has at growing up right.
Best wishes.
This doesn’t mean I’ll be doling out favors at my daughter’s wedding
Having not blogged since earlier Friday, let me offer a brief note of congratulations to Karl before digressing into one of my strange little recollections.
The 24 hours between Friday evening at ten and last night at ten were among the most tiring yet, but with all the confusion and weariness, some good did come of it.
Friday night a little after ten, I was sitting in a booth at a Philly area pizza shop enjoying a slice and some wings with a friend. That conversation turned a bit sour, or maybe unsettling is a better word. I’m still not sure what to think of it, but I didn’t get too much sleep Friday night, which was problematic, given what I was to do Saturday.
Saturday morning, a little past ten, I was sitting in a slightly different kind of booth in a diner in West Amwell, New Jersey. Instead of pizza and wings and a friend, I had eggs, hash browns and my parents in the booth. About two hours later we were at our destination, preparing to attend a series of baptisms, at which I became a Godfather. It went well. After being inducted into the Godfatherhood, it only made sense we should wander a few blocks from the church to a local restaurant, where thirty-some fellow attendees were enjoying some excellent Italian food, wine and cake.
Keeping the heat on
Fred Clark expands on previous ponderings about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. He gives reasons why every political segment in Washington should be for full funding of LIHEAP. Among those points is this one:
… Corporate capitalists of the Bush/Cheney/Joe Barton school should support LIHEAP because all that money it funnels to poor families is really funneled through those families on its way to its actual destination: Energy companies. …(source)
Just in case the idea of keeping poor people from freezing wasn’t enough of a reason.
Friday Random Ten XXXIX
(talk of songs and inspiration)
1. War on Drugs – Barnaked Ladies (Everything to Everyone)
“She had a soul and we ate it up;
thrown away like a paper cup…”
2. Blue Sky Mine – Midnight Oil (Blue Sky Mining)
“And the company takes what the company wants,
and nothing’s as precious, as a hole in the ground.”
3. Hung the Moon – Better than Ezra (Friction, Baby)
“I like your eyes—they say you’re true.
The others whisper and lie.”
4. Cry Freedom – Dave Matthews Band (Crash)
“Hands and feet are all alike,
but gold between divide us.
Hands and feet are all alike,
but fear between divide us.”
5. Possession – Sarah McLachlan (Fumbling Towards Ecstasy)
“My body aches to breathe your breath;
Your words keep me alive…”
6. The Distance – Live (The Distance to Here)
“Oh the distance is not do-able
in these bodies of clay my brother.”
7. Don’t Wanna’ Know – Refreshments (Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy)
“I wonder where I’ll be in a year;
probably be sittin right here…”
8. Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning) – Vertical Horizon (Everything You Want)
“Nothing’s quite the same now.
I just say your name now…”
9. The Biggest Lie – Elliott Smith (Elliott Smith)
“Oh we’re so very precious, you and I,
and everything you do makes me want to die.”
10. The Question (reprise) – Bonehead (Fade)
“Well I’m no good, I don’t belong;
I don’t know how I made it this far along.”
Maybe they plan to kill us with kindness
Much has been made in recent days over CITGO’s program to provide lower-cost heating oil to poor residents of various U.S. communities. But the following quote really helped me understand the controversy:
“Unfortunately, many of President Chavez’s public statements concerning the United States government suggest that his purportedly altruistic motives may camouflage his true motivations,” the two lawmakers said in a Feb. 15 letter to Citgo Pres. and Chief Executive Felix M. Rodriguez. … (source)
You mean to suggest they may be giving away millions of dollars in heating oil for the same reasons we give so much aid to certain unfriendly nations? Those evil bastards—they stole our playbook!
Only in our great land could you reasonably push the notion that it’s wrong to help the poor. And I do mean only here.
I quite frankly don’t care what (if any) ulterior motives are behind this program; unless Mr. Chavez has found a way to inject brainwashing fumes into the heating oil that’s being donated, I don’t see how his motives come within a mile of being relevant.
Note: for more on this, Fred Clark gives a little more depth, and his comments are more lively than mine, so…
Random presidential opinions
Bruce Bartlett has apparently caught some flack for calling George W. Bush a conservative impostor. As I listened to his interview on Fresh Air, I was asking one question of the radio (which, by the way, rarely answers me): Who didn’t already know this about President Bush?
I knew Bush wasn’t a true conservative, even before any of the “security” bloat that followed 9/11. Of course, to me, calling someone conservative or liberal doesn’t equate with making a value judgment about that person; but will someone please explain to me how gullible (or maybe just inattentive) you have to be to believe Bush is a conservative? Bartlett makes a lot of good points about the misplaced trust of most voting Americans in one major party or the other. I completely agree with that sentiment.
Another point Bartlett raised in his interview is the fact that George W. Bush is the first president since John Quincy Adams to go an entire four-year term without using a veto. Which brings me to the next Bush-related opinion I have: I don’t get all the opposition to the Dubai Ports World deal, at least as it pertains to naked security issues.
12 things
I’ve been tagged by Marisa for this little quiz that originally emanated from the mind of the legendary Pax Romano:
1. Black and White or Color; how do you prefer your movies?
It depends on how the movie looks most natural. Citizen Kane in color? Absolutely not. Same goes for Star Wars in black and white. It just has to look right (to me, that is).
2. What is the one single subject that bores you to near-death?
I can’t think of one off the top of my head, but it’s probably to do with fashion, color schemes, or something along those lines.
3. MP3’s, CD’s, Tapes or Records: what is your favorite medium for pre-recorded music?
CD’s were a shoe-in, and then the mp3 player came into my life. Now I can’t imagine listening to something where I don’t have a couple hundred songs at my fingertips. It kind of goes along with my dependence on the remote control.
4. You are handed one first class trip plane ticket to anywhere in the world and ten million dollars cash. All of this is yours provided that you leave and not tell anyone where you are going ever. This includes family, friends, everyone. Would you take the money and ticket and run?
Can I send the money back to my family? Hmmm… the answer’s probably no, if I’m understanding the spirit of the question correctly.
5. Seriously, what do you consider the world’s most pressing issue now?
Selfishness. I’d say simple greed or hatred, but I think they’re more symptomatic than anything. All the truly bad things I notice seem to revolve around a sense of entitlement. How to better explain—the impulse that drives us to feed our own desires at the expense of the needs of others. Sorry, if it sounds preachy, but it’s what I learned in Sunday School.
6. How would you rectify the world’s most pressing issue?
Don’t ask me for logistics, but the answer would have to be love. Not the silly Hallmark romantic stuff, but the idea that values sympathy over self-righteousness, the quality that doesn’t seek its own interest, isn’t easily provoked—and all that good stuff. Again, Sunday School.
7. You are given the chance to go back and change one thing in your life; what would that be?
I used to think about this a lot, but then I realized that most of the big mistakes I’ve made have resulted in as many good things as bad things. It’s impossible to go back and know that life would have been better if I’d done everything “right.” And you rarely grow as much from good experiences anyway.
8. You are given the chance to go back and change one event in world history, what would that be?
Another tempting question, but I’ll have to pass on this one too. There is no single event I can think of that would change the course of history that much for the better. I tend to think there have been millions of smaller events that could have, but who knows?
9. A night at the opera, or a night at the Grand Ole Opry. Which do you choose?
Opry. I don’t know why, because I don’t really like country music. But there’s still a few people who’d show up there I’d probably like to see.
10. What is the one great unsolved crime of all time you’d like to solve?
The Jimmy Hoffa disappearance.
11. One famous author can come to dinner with you. Who would that be, and what would you serve for the meal?
Shakespeare. I’m not the most gifted cook, but I can make a pretty decent tomato pie—that would have to beat whatever slop they were eating in 17th century England.
12. You discover that John Lennon was right, that there is no hell below us, and above us there is only sky: what’s the first immoral thing you might do to celebrate this fact?
Is the assumption here that morality is based on the threat of punishment or promise of reward? I’m not sure it would matter if Lennon was right, but I’ll admit it’s a hard alternate theory in which to place myself.
Larceny above the rim?
Exactly—though it’s hard to get too bent out of shape over a contest that allows someone fourteen tries to get one turn right.
Meet the bloggers and/or play favorites
Scott announces another Philly blogger meetup, same time as before, different location though. Of course, those who show up an hour earlier will be treated to the Philly WordPress meetup also.
And for those who read Philly blogs, the polling is open at Philly Future for the community’s next featured blogger. Voting runs until Sunday afternoon, so if you’re a Philly blogger, why not go on over and feel the democracy? (You must be a member to cast a vote, but even if you’re not one yet, joining is quick and painless.)
Random Friday Ten XXXVIII
(I can’t decide which is worse)
1. Blues – Switchfoot (Nothing is Sound)
“Does justice never find you? Do the wicked never lose?
Is there any honest song to sing besides these blues?”
2. Yer So Bad – Tom Petty (Full Moon Fever)
“My sister got lucky, married a yuppie
Took him for all he was worth…”
3. Breathe Deep – Lost Dogs (Scenic Routes)
“Gays and lesbians, demagogues and thespians;
the disabled, preachers, doctors and teachers;
Meat eaters, wife beaters, judges and juries
Long hair, no hair, everybody everywhere…”
4. Fall Down – Toad the Wet Sprocket (Dulcinea)
“She hates her life, she hates her skin, she even hates her friends.”
5. Cajun Song – Gin Blossoms (New Miserable Experience)
“They say you can’t miss something you’ve never had.
So tell me why, why I could feel so bad…”
6. World Leader Pretend – R.E.M. (Green)
“I demand a rematch,
I decree a stalemate,
I divine my deeper motives…”
7. Leave the Biker – Fountains of Wayne (Fountains of Wayne)
“Oh can’t you see my world is falling apart?
Baby, please leave the biker,
Leave the biker, break his heart.”
8. Shine Like it Does – INXS (Listen Like Thieves)
“And if you’re looking, you will find it.”
9. She Is Fading – Vigilantes of Love (Summershine)
“Oh to hold you once again, wipe away your tears;
you are such a welcome sight in my rearview mirror.”
10. The Lament of Desmond R. G. Underwood-Frederick IV - Steve Taylor (Squint)
“The news of my impending death came at a really bad time for me”
- The all-inclusive folk hymn: 3
- Always sounded too happy to me to be about heartbreak: 5
- Immediately precedes my all-time favorite Tom Petty track: 2 (is anyone familiar with the track that follows it?)
Other list keepers: Andrea, Autumn, Ben, Brian, Cziltang, Luna, Marisa, Mark, Sherri
Nominations, part 2
Philly Future is once again soliciting nominations for the next local featured blog. Click here to suggest one.
Witty repartee, mere feedback, Irwin, etc.
A few blog observations, because I have so little of my own creativity to share right now, from three fellow Philly bloggers and one closer relation:
First a post-specific kudo for a blogger who deserves many of them: to Mark, who’s got a post about a la carte cable offerings. Like most cultural commentary at The Long Cut, this analysis is dead on, starting with the title.
Then there’s one of the more recent blogroll additions on my sidebar, Phreaking Philly. From streetside restaurant reviews to listing stuff that annoys him, Wade Bloggs not only has great musical taste; he also offers more of the snappy brand of blogging I’d expect from someone introduced by Becky.
And in the most daring item of the day, mere cat gets comments—finally. I’ve long lamented the absence of comments on Tony’s site (pretty much on a monthly basis at the Philly blog meetups). Now I guess I have to shut up about that.
Then my brother-in-law, who guests over at Ales Rarus from time to time, saw fit to share the story of a Valentine’s Day first date. It involves my sister, but more importantly, an uncredited automotive cameo by Irwin.
Skittish little things
Oh, the things that have flitted across my mind in the past day or so.
An Iranian newspaper, in its own brazen exercise of “free speech”, is soliciting caricatures related to the holocaust. A soundbite I heard on the radio had a former Iranian ambassador to the UN explaining how much worse it was to depict Mohammed in a cartoon than it is to poke fun at the historical slaughter of millions.
It occurred to me while listening to this man: by painting the Mohammed depictions as substantially more offensive than scoffing at the holocaust, he may have been trying to explain in advance the lack of violent protest that is likely to result from whatever holocaust cartoons come of this amazingly stupid idea. You know, something along the lines of, “See? If holocaust caricatures were anywhere near as bad as Mohammed caricatures, we’d have had Jewish people firebombing the Saudi Embassy in New York…”
Then there was the hunting accident with the Vice-President in Texas, but unlike whatever bird Mr. Cheney was trying to nail, that whole situation seems like too easy a target.
And on a topic only tangentially related to the last item, I recall the excited throng of conservatives who trumpeted the American Bar Association’s rating of Judge Alito. I fully expect the same people to be nodding in agreement with the ABA opinion on the NSA warrantless wiretap program.
Oh, and by the way—Villanova beat top-ranked Connecticut last night. Shades of 1985, when I was still young and full of hope…
Loathing the internet extorter
This one comes courtesy of Ales Rarus. I can relate to his sentiment.
If you’re still browsing with Internet Explorer, I suggest a visit to Browse Happy.
Friday Random Ten XXXVII
(midnight is where the day begins)
1. Lovely Man – Lost Dogs (Real Men Cry)
“Hey little mama, be my friend;
you can be the trouble that you think I’m in.”
2. The Year New York Fell Down – John Francis (Fire in the Marrow)
“Jesus, Jesus, of a thousand sorrows;
Jesus, Jesus, of the thorny crown;
is there room inside your kingdom for me
‘cause this one is falling down…”
3. Lemon – U2 (Zooropa)
“And these are the days when our work has come asunder.
And these are the days when we look for something other.”
4. Is It for Me – Toad the Wet Sprocket (Fear)
“Bradley’s leg healed badly—at least he still can walk.”
5. Cruel and Pretty – Over the Rhine (Changes Come)
“Electric lines and wispy jet contrails;
ships at sea and B&O train rails;
a tunnel of light like the Seven Eleven;
meet me on the backstreets of heaven.”
6. In Your Eyes – Jeffrey Gaines (Live at the World Cafe 10th Anniversary Edition)
“Love, I don’t like to see so much pain.
So much wasted, and this moment keeps slipping away.”
7. On My Own – Familiar 48 (Wonderful Nothing)
“Well I can see you looking over my direction.
Thought it was a good thing; I guess I was wrong.”
8. Parting Shot – Vigilantes of Love (Blister Soul)
“There’s a knowledge I traded a long time ago.
Well I bartered it off for these rags I call clothes.”
9. Christopher – Stargazer Lily (That’s O.K., I Can Sleep at Work)
“I’m looking over the edge of the world…”
10. Worldwide – Adam Again (Dig)
“We all love that desert thunder, we put some sticker on our bumper,
3 billion nothings in the world—why should anybody bother?”
Apparently there’s an mp3 of the live version of #9 (here), in case you’re interested. And on a tangential note, I picked up the Stargazer disc at a battle of the bands sort of thing at the Troc where both Stargazer Lily and Familiar 48 (then Bonehead) were playing. And of course, the local music fans will recognize one or two other Philly flavors from this list. That said, I like pretty much every song on the list (the more obscure the more I tend to like them), but the bookends are especially strong in my opinion.
Others generating random-ness this Friday: Andrea, Ben, Brian, Fred, Josh
The enemy you know, and more contrarian fun from eclectic row
In a few quick stops on the route through my sidebar, I’ve come across a few randomly thought-provoking posts.
The first refers to the idea of regulating hate speech (whatever it may include) on a wide scale. On that front Cziltang offers a take on the speech regulation theme that I find compelling: regulation makes it more likely that the hateful among us will adopt a stealth approach, in the spirit of surface compliance. Maybe it is better to keep it in the open; let people see things for what they are. I think…
In a somewhat related vein, among some great local commentary on Mohammed-gate is this post by Albert. He just doesn’t get the way religion serves as a starting point for so much violence. As someone who’s a little more religious than Albert admits to being, I have to say I share his confusion on this issue.
And what’s this? A Christian (even Catholic) blogger giving reasons why prostitution should be legal? Well, it’s not quite that simple, but it is an interesting post/comment thread on an atypical subject for the foremost God-blogger on my sidebar.
Meanwhile, Frank has pictorial proof that even some canines take issue with the President’s performance.
