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Website of the Week
For those who are gluttons for listening punishment, here is my official myspace musician page.
Local Pump Price of Unleaded Gasoline:
$3.52/gallon
Price Per Barrel of Oil:
$125.96 (previously $107.90)
last modified May 11, 2008 at 18:16
Has there ever been a poet with such a thematic change in his work as John Donne? In his youth, Donne wooed women with his rakish love poetry and dashing good looks. In The Flea, Donne urges his love to consummate their love since their blood has already been intermingled within the body of the flea.
However, Donne was converted and focused his poetic energies upon his new and far greater Love. Donne blends stark sexual imagery and symbolism with his conversion in Holy Sonnet XIV. I can barely read it without blushing.
Holy Sonnet
XIV
Batter my heart, three-person'd God ; for you
As yet but knock ; breathe, shine, and seek to mend ;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but O, to no end.
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy ;
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
Or did I?
Interesting term that has come out within the past couple months and occurring quite frequently in the press:
Metrosexual(thanks to Wordspy)
(MET.roh.sek.shoo.ul) n. A dandyish narcissist in love with not only himself, but also his urban lifestyle; a straight man who is in touch with his feminine side.
So, is this what they are calling those pansy-boys these days? Well, if that's what they call themselves, then allow me to coin a new word, too.
Rurasexual
(ROO ra sek shoo ul) n. A good ole boy who strikes fear in the heart of metrosexuals everywhere by exuding a dominant masculine presence and by expressing strong moral convictions without regard to political correctness. Will defend the honor of his lady if called upon to do so while the metro hides under the table and whimpers.
The Florida Senate passed legislation authorizing Jeb Bush to give a temporary stay of the feeding tube removal order in the Terri Schiavo case and Bush has stayed the order. She is now receiving fluids. Hallelujah, the Lord has heard our prayers and shown mercy on Terri. What a blessing!! Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat!
I commend the Florida legislature for listening to the voices of their constituents and protecting Terri's life. As much as the judicial branch has been creating policy from the bench, it is good to see a state legislature preempting their power grabs and holding them in check. Maybe Congress could learn a lesson from this...?
Florida House Votes to Save Terri Schiavo- (from WND):
Six days after Terri Schindler-Schiavo's feeding tube was removed on court order – sentencing her to a slow and painful death – the Florida House of Representatives, influenced by a massive and sustained outpouring of support for the 39-year-old brain-disabled woman, voted tonight to give Gov. Jeb Bush the power to order Terri's feeding tube re-inserted.
Okay, I'm a nerd but I stayed up late last night watching Masterpiece Theatre's version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips. My apologies to all Marlins and Yankees fans, but the World Series holds little emotion for me.
Since I am no master of description, I will lift PBS's:
In the annals of English boarding schools, few can match the renown of Brookfield, "a good school of the second rank," with its unforgettable Latin master Mr. Chipping, known to all as "Mr. Chips." Masterpiece Theatre's heartwarming new adaptation of James Hilton's beloved novella stars Martin Clunes as the amiable educator who arrives at Brookfield as a young teacher in the 1870s, and finds himself a venerated old timer in the 1920s with vivid memories of his thousands of children -- "all boys."
For all the haste that went into its composition, Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a perfect little masterpiece, which evoked this praise from the famously irascible critic Alexander Woollcott: "A tender and gentle story as warming to the heart and as nourishing to the spirit as any I can remember... The most profoundly moving story that has passed this way in several years."
Anyone else get the chance to see it?
Please pray for Terri Schiavo, who is being starved to death by the removal of her feeding tube. Terri's mother and father are not even being allowed to say goodbye to Terri.
There is certainly evil afoot in this case. Maybe God will work a miracle for her yet.
Duane is back to blogging, er... posting sporadic insights and humor via his website, that is. Not that he is sporadically funny but rather that his sporadicalness is derived from the relative infrequency of his posting, which I repeat, is not the same as blogging.
Just so we're clear...
Ugh.
Double Ugh. (for Dawn and Jason)
This just isn't right.
Dale Earnhardt Sportsman Action Figure - Rifle Hunter
Lifelike, highly-detailed 12" action figures depicting the "Intimidator" enjoying his favorite pastime. Fully poseable. Custom-molded hands are perfect for holding the many included accessories.
From Rush's radio show today:
"I first started taking prescription painkillers some years ago when my doctor prescribed them to treat post surgical pain following spinal surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery was unsuccessful and I continued to have severe pain in my lower back and also in my neck due to herniated discs. I am still experiencing that pain. Rather than opt for additional surgery for these conditions, I chose to treat the pain with prescribed medication. This medication turned out to be highly addictive.
...
"I am not making any excuses. You know, over the years athletes and celebrities have emerged from treatment centers to great fanfare and praise for conquering great demons. They are said to be great role models and examples for others. Well, I am no role model. I refuse to let anyone think I am doing something great here, when there are people you never hear about, who face long odds and never resort to such escapes. They are the role models. I am no victim and do not portray myself as such. I take full responsibility for my problem.
Well, well, well...Here come's the two finalists to replace the Colonel Reb mascot at Ole Miss:
 (courtesy djouranl.com)
Personally, I like Karl Fox's entry much better...
Much of the controversy that was embroiled around the Rebel dealt with his being perceived as a symbol of the Old South (plantation owner). The funny thing is that the rebel mascot came about in 1936 and there is speculation that a black man and big Ole Miss fan, Blind Jim Ivy, was the inspiration for the Rebel's physical attributes.
Another piece of college football/Civil War trivia deals with my alma mater's mascot, the LSU Fightin' Tigers.
According to Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., PhD. and the "Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861-1865" (LSU Press, 1989), the name Louisiana Tigers evolved from a volunteer company nicknamed the Tiger Rifles, which was organized in New Orleans. This company became a part of a battalion commanded by Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat and was the only company of that battalion to wear the colorful Zouave uniform. In time, Wheat's entire battalion was called the Tigers.
That nickname in time was applied to all of the Louisiana troops of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The tiger symbol came from the famous Washington Artillery of New Orleans. A militia unit that traces its history back to the 1830s, the Washington Artillery had a logo that featured a snarling tiger's head. These two units first gained fame at the Battle of First Manassas on July 21, 1861. Major David French Boyd, first president of LSU after the war, had fought with the Louisiana troops in Virginia and knew the reputation of both the Tiger Rifles and Washington Artillery.
Another interesting Civil War tidbit about LSU. When LSU was founded in 1860, a man named William Tecumseh Sherman was asked to be the university's first president. When the Civil War began, Sherman departed to assume command in the Union Army while his entire student body left to join the Confederacy.
Okay, Scott and I have been bitten by the Kill Bill bug. (If you haven't noticed already...) I've gotta go see it. I know it's probably going to be bloody. But hey, it's Quentin Tarrantino and Uma Thurman together again. Attendance is mandatory!
I've gotten some tickets to the LSU/Ole Miss game next month via the internet. I just printed them off the website. This newfangled technology sure does bring a tear to the eye!
By the way, Dawn, do you think we'll see an LSU/Ohio State matchup in the Sugar Bowl?
/counting unhatched chickens
Is the removal (i.e. killing) of a terrorist leader, by a country consistently targeted by the same terrorist leader, a terrorist act?
Egypt seems to think so. Maybe Egypt thinks that as long as terrorism is perpetuated against Israel then it is permissable.
Can anyone verify this story?
I saw it first at andrewsullivan.com, and then on Drudge.
Kuwaiti security authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle $60 million worth of chemical weapons and biological warheads from Iraq to an unnamed European country, a Kuwaiti newspaper said on Wednesday....
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