Supreme Unsafety Dance Saturday Political Soap Box 68

So the forgotten branch of government briefly dances into our view.

In some cases, they dance into the direction that we were headed anyway.  The great cultural shift on attitude towards gays continues, as barriers to progress are cautiously removed.  Gay couples who are married in states that recognize such marriages can now enjoy complete civil equality with straight couples. And that is the way it should be.

Some states will move on this more slowly than others.  The deep South will take the longest time. My gay friends in the state of Georgia here shouldn't be holding their breath waiting for a progressive change in the law.  Florida may be a different story.

In another vitally important case, the Supreme Court moved us violently backwards in time.  Gutting the Voting Rights Act was a horrible mistake.  Racism and voter suppression are not fading in this country, but rather increasing. Republicans use it as official strategy in many places, with voter ID laws and restriction of early voting and other tactics designed to suppress the vote on the rise.   There is a serious debate in the Republican Party as to whether to appeal to non-white voters, or just to double-down on their base and play up to white resentment and fears.  Guess which point of view is winning right now?  And for that side to have a chance, they must be as aggressive as possible in suppressing the vote.

In other cases, it is clear that Supreme constantly sides with big corporations and the wealthy over the little guy,  That is the least discussed and most important effect of the Supreme Court.  Take a look at Citizens United and it's devastating effects.

So are we safe with this Supreme Court?  Although I am grateful for the decisions effecting gay marriage and the Affordable Health Care Act, overall I would say no.  We are drifting away from democracy as we empower the corporations and wealthy as we strip and suppress the poor, minorities and the disadvantaged.

From The Safety Dance:

We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/

Let's hope over time that we can restore a Supreme that will join the Safety Dance with us, and we can safely and happily restore our great democracy.

Wanted: Responsible Pet Owners!

This is a wonderfully cute puppy being fostered by my friend, Robert Stewart.  Robert is a board member of the Okefenokee Humane Society. an animal shelter in Waycross, Georgia.  They receive a deluge of dogs and cats, and are looking for people who can take good care of them.  They are located at 1501 Blackwell Street and would love to have you visit.

They have recently received a large number of cats, both adult and kitten.

This is Joy, recently adopted by my friend, Julianna Lacefield.  Her and her two boys, John and Hemingway love the new addition to their family.  We have two rescue dogs of our own, and know the great "Joy" they can being into your life!

My son Benjamin holds in his hands Sargent Johnson.  Benjamin has been volunteering this summer to help at the Okefenokee Humane Society, and I want to profusely thank Robert Stewart for mentoring him in this.


I will try to write in the near future more about responsible pet ownership, and the tragic results of ownership that is NOT responsible.  It will not be a blog post done in a friendly tone.  If we cannot properly take care of these creatures that entrust themselves to us, what does that say about us as a society?

Meanwhile, please visit Okefenokee Humane Society, or a shelter in your area as soon as you can.  Adopt if you can, and if not, please your lend your support.

Ripping Good Yarns: Vote For Your Favorite Broadcast Drama Finalist!

We're ready for the final voting!

Had to make some tough decisions from among a number of popular nominees.  I tried to strike a balance between different types of shows.  I Left off last year's winner's. The Mentalist and Fringe (my favorite) in order to give some other shows a whirl at the Ripper Awards.

Please vote for one of the following:

Criminal Minds

A CBS favorite that has been on for several years, it features elite profilers that analyze the minds of the nation's most dangerous criminals. This was it's 8th season. I have seen it once in it's first season, but those who watch regularly seem to like it very much.

Castle

An ABC mainstay, Alison is wild about Nathan Fillion.  A great actor with a tremendous charisma and sense of humor.  Although I would prefer him on Firefly, this show can be entertaining.  The interaction between Beckett and Castle is very good, and their recent romance has not ruined the show. The supporting cast is weak and many of the cases fairly pedestrian.  I have watched virtually every episode of this series.

NCIS

The number one show on television, as in the most watched.  This was it's 10th season, and stars Mark Harmon.  235 episodes, all about.....naval crime.  Those who watch it love it.  I have never seen an episode.

Scandal

This is a super charged show about a scandalous, melodramatic Washington, starring.....Kerry Washington.  This show is fast paced and exciting, and most importantly for jaded viewers like myself, very unpredictable. The politics expressed are occasionally implausible, and sometimes it's hard to find a good guy, but it is a wild and enjoyable ride.  I have watched every episode.

Grimm

This show has captured both the right supernatural, fairy tale appeal, and delivers one of the largest audiences NBC gets.  It does have a kind of police procedural overtone to it, which is okay.  Not in the same league as Alcatraz, but okay.  I really like Claire Coffee as the witchy Adalind, and Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe is a real standout.  I have seen about a season and a half.  Have to catch up with the 2013 episodes.

So there you have it, folks!  Our five finalists!  I would love to keep voting open long enough to at least get a dozen or more votes.  That would be really swell.

There's a good chance that some of you won't have seen any of these shows, or very little of them.  But if at this point you just want to take a stab at the Pinata and pick which show you think sounds the best - I am OK with that.  WE NEED THE VOTES!

Vote now!  On here or on facebook!

I await your judgement!

Flying Dragon Needs Your Support TODAY!!!

Why recreate the wheel?  Today's Strait Line is stolen from the Flying Dragon website, written by one of Flying Dragon's most generous and devoted supporter, Michelle Chancey.  It shows the many fundraisers that are going on now, and the many efforts underway to help support the theater.  This is a tough time, as show revenue is not sufficient to keep up with the basic costs of the theater.  We need your help and donations!  The need is not down the road - it is right now!  So please look at this list and see where you can contribute and help!

As a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, Flying Dragon Arts Center relies on the generosity of others to keep our facility open. Please consider participating in one or more of the following fundraisers, and help our children reach their potential!

CURRENT FUNDRAISERS

• TOTE BAGS: We have FDAC tote bags for sale, for $5 each, in a variety of colors, while supplies last. Pick your favorite or buy one in each color.
• KRISPY KREME: We are now taking orders for Krispy Kreme doughnuts, at $7 per dozen. We will take orders until June 28th, and the doughnuts will be ready for pick-up by July 2nd.
• THE STRAIT LINE: Tom Strait, an FDAC volunteer and board member has been graciously donating 10% of the income that is generated from his blog, The Strait Line, to Flying Dragon, and has generously decided to increase his donation to 50% for the entire year.  
• CAR WASH: We have a car wash scheduled for next Saturday, June 29th, at Auto Zone, on Memorial Drive in Waycross. We will be there from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Donations only!
• BAGGING FOR TIPS: The older children of FDAC will be bagging groceries at Harvey's Supermarket, on Plant Avenue in Waycross, on Wednesday, July 3rd, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Come shop at Harvey's and tip your little baggers! 

FUTURE FUNDRAISERS:

• BBQ PLATES: RJ's Grill will be sponsoring our BBQ fundraiser for July. We will be selling BBQ plates ($10), Boston butts ($20), & slabs of ribs ($18). Orders will be taken from July 12th through July 21st & the BBQ will be ready for pick-up on July 27th. 
• RUBY TUESDAY GIVES BACK: Saturday, July 13th & Friday, August 9th - 11:00 AM to Midnight - We are once again teaming up with Ruby Tuesday, on Memorial Drive in Waycross. Enjoy a meal out, show our flyer when you pay, and Ruby Tuesday gives FDAC 20% of the proceeds. 
• PARENTS' NIGHT OUT: Saturday, July 13th  - Has it been awhile since you and your significant other have had a date night? Can you remember the last time you had a bubble bath, without little fists pounding on the bathroom door? Sounds like you are in need of a break! We are planning a parents' night out, where you can bring your children to FDAC, for an evening of fun & games, while you enjoy a well-deserved evening out (or in). More details coming soon. 
• SKATING PARTY: A roller skating party will be held, some time this summer, at King's Roller Rink in Waycross. A portion of the proceeds will be given to FDAC. More details coming soon.

Any ideas for future fundraisers will be greatly appreciated, as we will continue to need to raise money, so that we can continue to introduce the children of the community to the arts.

From Tom: 

Another way to give is to attend a show, and then give an extra donation.  Your donations are tax deductible.

Island Hopping and Other Monday Musings

This is an update of a picture done two yeas ago.   It's my son  Benjamin Strait with the two Beck girls, Elizabeth and Emily.  They don't all three fit on the putting green anymore.  It's part of our annual outing to St. Simon's and Jekyll Islands,  The becks rent a unit there for a week and we come down for a day.

This year we joine.d by the Cooks as well, who stayed at a hotel in Jekyll for a couple of nights.  This picture  shows Noah Cook (math genius and a great artist), Benjamin Strait (robot and self-proclaimed Ninja master), Emily Beck (video game buff and avid reader), Elizabeth Beck (beautiful young dancer), Amara Grace Jefford (talented daughter of our Executive Director of Flying Dragon) and Eli Cook (more imagination per pound than anyone else on the planet). 

We will now have to add this turtle to our annual shots.

We had trouble convincing Benjamin that putt putt golf would be a lot easier using a club.

Little squirt with a big squirter, Eli could hit anybody in the pool.  And get them wet.   Which they already were.  Because they were in a pool.

It was a great Saturday, that included a trip to Iguana's on St. Simon's. Iguana's promotes itself as having been voted as having the best shrimp on the island.  Unfortunately, I don't like shrimp, but the fried clam strips aren't too bad.  I also tried a crab-cake  and I'm afraid that  another island restaurant, Barbara Jean's, has ruint me as to what great crab-cakes should taste like.

Maybe next year, we will also rent a hotel room down there and make it for a couple days instead of one.  Of course, we would have to liberally apply SPF 30,000 to ourselves, so as not to get sun burned.  As the Cooks found out Sunday, adults can need to be covered as much as children.  Homeopathic remedies have been flying to the Cook's aide.  My idea of Calamine lotion and Saran Wrap has been disregarded.

Alison and I saw the movie Safety Not Guaranteed on Netflix Friday.  A great little movie that I highly recommend   It is a great romance with wonderful quirky characters, and very mild science fiction undertones   I found it to be a much better movie than the more popular and Oscar nominated Silver Lining Playbooks.

Once again, the weekend comes to an end, and I am faced with the reality that I have a job in accounting.  But that's okay.  I have already started the countdown to next weekend.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

The Sheriff Steps In

It was near the end of a shift.  He would have loved to have just gone home, had a cool glass of iced tea with his wife Vicki, maybe have gone on to First Methodist for tonight's singing.   But when you were sheriff of Dixon County, sometimes you couldn't keep a deputy's schedule.  Sometimes you were called to duty even after a long, hard day. Why did he even run for this job?  Then he remembered his opponent, Walter Harley, and it came back.  Because he didn't want the department to be run by an idiot.

He got out of his police car, a made over Ford Crown Victoria.  They hadn't gotten new vehicles in over a decade.  Thank god the Evans brothers were the best mechanics in Southeast Georgia, and could keep their cars humming.

"Sheriff!" called out Deputy Davis Gorland.  A heavy set young man, his belt and holster almost hidden from view by his rolls of fat.  Davis may have had an inordinate weakness for fried chicken and a carefree attitude towards the necessity of exercise, but he was a loyal deputy, and a kind man.  He was standing on the front porch of the Denison's, a worried look on his face.

"What we got right now, Deputy?  Any change since Lucy called me?" Lucy was the dispatch officer at the Sheriff's office.  Lucy Mayer, a short stout woman with incredible energy and dedication, had served the department for over twenty years. She was the only one in the department who just referred to him as Alan.  Others in the Department called him Sheriff Steel.  Many of the regular citizens called him Sheriff Alan.  The sacrifices one sometimes made in the name of politics.

"He's still in the master bedroom, sir," answered Deputy Gorland as the Sheriff stepped onto the porch.  "We think he may have a gun in there with him," he added, in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Good god, son.  This is South Georgia.  Everybody's got a gun everywhere.  Is anybody in there with him?"  The Sheriff tried to peer in through the front bay window.

"No, sir.  The wife and children are in the front living room.  We don't think there's other relatives or a girlfriend or anything involved."  Sheriff Alan Steel nodded and proceeded into the house.

The wife was on the living room couch crying.  Their two young boys were playing with toy trucks on a rug in front of the mother. Edna Denison looked questioningly at the Sheriff, as if he had the miracle answer to get her husband to come out. "He's been in there for four days, Sheriff Alan!  I don't think he's ever gonna come out!  I'm very worried.  He's quit his job at the paper mill months ago, and the disability hasn't been approved, and we're way behind in the mortgage, and he's talking crazy, about how the whole family may be better off without him. Things just haven't been the same since the last tour."  Her husband, Dabs Denison, was an Army vet who had served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Whatever happened over there must have finally caught up with him.

Deputy Gorland handed the Sheriff paper work from the Okefenokee Bank & Trust.  They were eviction papers for tomorrow at noon.  Alan gave a deep sigh.  That was Forrest Compton's bank, and he was a lot more Henry Potter than George Bailey. "Is he in there alone, Edna?"

Edna sniffed.  "Yes."

"Does Dabs have any weapons in there with him?  Anything he could hurt himself with?" the Sheriff asked, as gently as he could.

"Yes, he has his service revolver in there with him.  And he has access to the Master bath.  There's pills and razors in there."  A fire truck with siren a blazing pulled into the front yard.  The young Denison boys got up and excitedly went outside to see it.

The Sheriff looked up at his deputy.  "Next time Gary comes to something like this, tell him he doesn't need to come in with the sirens so loud." Gary Myles and his volunteer firefighters were sometimes as much of a menace as a help.  "Edna, has Dabs done anything violent or threatening to you or the boys?"

"Of course not!  Dabs is awful depressed but he would never do anything to hurt me or the boys." Edna was sobbing now.  "He asked to speak to you, Sheriff Alan.  He voted for you last election and he said that you were the only politician left on Earth that he trusts."

"Okay, Edna.  I'll do my best." He in no way felt up to the task.  But he pictured Walter Harley trying to handle this, and he knew he couldn't do worse.  He got up and gently rapped on the bedroom door.  "Dabs?  This is Sheriff Alan Steel.  You wanna see if we can get this resolved?  Edna and the boys are mighty worried."

"I thank you kindly for coming, Sheriff.  I hope I haven't imposed too much on you, Sir."  Dabs sounded a little shaky, but was polite and respectful, as always.

"Dabs, do ya mind if I come in there 'n talk?"

"I'm gonna crack open the door so you can come in.  Leave your gun outside.  I don't mean no harm, but I'll have a gun on you and I won't be forced out of this room."

"No problem, Dabs.  It'll just be me and you.  And I have no intention of forcing you to do anything."  As much as Alan trusted Dabs, he knew things weren't always predictable.  All he could think of was how much he wanted to sit down and have an iced tea with Vicki at least one more time.

He heard the door being unlocked, and then it creaked open, just enough to let him come in.  Dabs quickly locked the door, keeping a gun pointed at Alan the whole time.  "Sheriff, I'm so sorry to bring you into this.  I'm just having so much trouble trying to think what to do."

Dabs was a mess.  He looked pale, his beard was scraggly, he looked weak and even skinnier than normal.  He must not have eaten for the last four days.  He stunk like he had been in the same jeans and white t-shirt the whole time, and must not have availed himself of the shower in the bathroom.  Alan prayed that Dabs had at least drunk some of the tap water.

Dabs sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding a gun on Alan.  "Do you know anything about insurance, Sheriff?"

That was not the first thing the Sherriff anticipated coming out of Dab's mouth.  "Not a whole lot.  I can call Andy Caldwell if you want.  I got my cell in my pocket." Andy was the local State Farm agent.

Dabs looked alarmed.  "No, I can't talk to him!  He can't know what I'm thinking!  I have to figure it out, Sheriff.  I have to know.  I'm not worth anymore to Edna and the boys.  They'd be better off with me gone.  I'm trying to figure out how to do it without triggering the suicide clause."

"Dabs, you know they're not better off without you.  They are dripping with love for you.  Those boys need their Daddy more than anything, and Edna would be lost without you."

"But I can't work no more!  I can't hardly be around people.  The damn government won't approve my disability.  They're gonna evict us tomorrow!  I can't think straight no more!"

The Sheriff was at a loss.  How do you speak to such pain? "Well, Dabs, these are all problems we can work on.  We just have to..."

Dabs leapt up and grabbed Alan's arm.  "They killed them, Sheriff!  They were the wrong ones, and I couldn't stop them."  Dabs eyes glazed over.  "Sometimes I wonder...if maybe....I helped them."

I could just reach out and take his gun and end this standoff, the Sheriff thought.  But would that really end it? 

Alan looked up into Dab's pained face.  "First off, I do know enough about insurance that there's no way they're going to give Edna and your boys any money.  They're bloodsucking bastards, and they'll have excluded anything you or I could possibly think to do."

Dabs sunk back onto the bed, even lowering his gun.  But this was no longer about the gun.

"Let's take this as we can," reasoned the Sheriff.  "First off, I'm gonna check with some of the business people I know and see if I can find you some odd jobs you can do without having to be around a lot of people.  Secondly, running as a damn Republican, which I had to do because no one here will vote for a Democrat, I got to know Congressman Winston.  He's a one of them tea party wingnuts, but he owes me, and I think I can get him to fast track your disability request.  Third and most important, I'll get that cheapskate Forest Compton to back off on repossession of your house.  He needs me to evict, and I'll refuse, and if he don't like it, why I have some other banks in town that I can recommend my friends and family to move their money to."

Dabs had a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.  "You...you would do that for me, Sheriff?"

"Of course, Dabs.  We take care of each other in this community, even if the federal government and the bankers won't."

Dabs set the gun on the bed, and went to Alan.  They hugged, and Dab's tears flowed freely.  The Sheriff brought Dabs out of the room and Edna and the children held each other tight.  It was over.

For now.

History of the Trap: June Dreams Part 2

SYNOPSIS:  After being visited in prison by Morgan LaDona Tigh, Lance Martin has agreed to Dr. Duncan's request to detail what happened in the time that Lance is calling "the Trap."  Lance begins his journal by describing the morning before the trap fell, where we learn his father was the Principal of Loren High, that Lance is a Junior, and has a sister named Diane who is a sophomore.  After a couple hours at school that morning, where we see how different his relationship with Morgan is.  We meet Lance's best friend, Artie Pentler, and their gang. Just as Lance is ready to ask Ginny Estill out, the Trap falls, and they witness the horrible death of two P. E.students as they are caught in some kind of electrical storm.  The students soon realize, as April marches on, that the so-called storm is something more, and that they may be trapped at the school and it's grounds for a very long time. May involves grizzly murders of staff that remain unsolved, as Lance's father and staff struggle to come to grips with events.  They decide to schedule more activities for the students to become involved with, including sports,  a TV variety show, and the beginnings of the tunnel project. Lance realizes that Ginny has chosen Artie, and finds himself moving closer to the studious, pretty Lisa Carlton.

Chapter 5

June Dreams

2

"I might switch jobs," mused Lisa.

"Jobs?  We have jobs?" said Robert, amused.

"I forgot to get my last paycheck," said Artie.  The group laughed. 

We were gathered for an early morning breakfast of powdered eggs, fresh raspberries and Tang. Artie and Ginny were there, sitting near each other, her arm occasionally on his shoulder.  I was slowly getting adjusted to them being together.  Having a closer relationship with Lisa helped ease that pain quite a bit.  Artie's good buddies, Tom and Robert and Jim and Jerry were there, along with Ginny's sister Mary, and Lisa's best friend, Sue Boschman.  Sue was sitting next to Tom.  They were holding hands.  Sue had finally found something else to think about besides her political and military conspiracies.

"Well, you know what I mean," replied Lisa earnestly.  "We're all making our contributions.  Tom and Robert are building the tunnels, Ginny is painting, Artie cleaning, Mary laundry and seamstress, Robert farming, Sue teaching, and Lance....well..."

"The Sands of Loren!" said Artie, in a mockingly dramatic voice, his hand sweeping across his forehead as if he were fainting with the "vapors".  What a goofy job I had, writing a soap opera for The Hour of Power.  "I do declare, Marty, you are one fine Master of Entertainment."  Everyone had a good laugh at my expense.

"Anyways, Lisa, what "career" change are you thinking of?" I asked, trying to get the conversation back on course.

"I like some of the scientific aspects of what we're doing with farming, and it is a joy to see more and more vegetables and fruits planted."  Thank goodness Mr. Bruschow had a substantial inventory of seeds in the biology lab.  He was a farmer in addition to being a teacher, and brought them for class study, and the possibility of a garden at school, one he was now bringing to life.  "But another aspect of human biology I'm concerned with is human health."  Well, she had certainly improved my health and outlook.  "I've had some conversations with Morgan..."

"Morgan!  Morgan Tigh?" scoffed Robert.  "That stuck up prima LaDona actually talked to you?"

"Oh, Robert, she's not that bad if you get to talk with her.  She was quite nice in telling me about what we were doing in medical care, how we're running out of basic medicines and how she needs more people to help."

"Morgan LaDona Tigh, nurse and friend to the sick.  Who woulda thunk it?" said Artie.

"How is the tunnel coming, Tom?" asked our quiet little Jerry.  He gave so little input; we'd sometimes forget that he was there.

"It's a tough go, Jerry, but I think we've finally got it going a bit.  Still, there's a lot of planning to do," answered Tom.  Tom had moved to the head of implementing the plans that David Yankovich, the genius Senior, came up with for tunnel design.  Tom didn't always agree with David's designs, but he did the best he could to bring them about.  He tried to keep safety first in mind, something that David did not focus on.  This slowed things down a bit, and David had railed at him to bring about things more quickly.  Still, even in his arrogance, David understood that Tom was probably the only one in the Trap, student or adult, with the mechanical skills to make his design ideas come to life.

"Hey, look!  Walt, it's the wild pack of four-eyes!"  Our breakfast was being disrupted by two of the Three Hoodlums, Robert Pelley and Walter Drayton.  Four Eyes was a derisive term that they had attached to us, even though only about half of us wore glasses.  It was meant to deride us as brainy outcasts.

Artie stood up and looked at them with a calm sharpness.  "What is it you want?"

"Why, we're the raspberry police, Farty Arty!  Come to check on your raspberry eating and to give you the raspberries!"  Walter made a fart sound with his arm.  Pelley came over to Jerry, who looked wide eyed and terrified.  "I see you haven't touched your raspberries, tiny boy.  Maybe you should give them to the poor and helpless."  Jerry pretended to be thinking a moment.  "No, wait; you ARE the poor and helpless.  You need to give them to us, the strong and superior."

Artie put his hand on the upper arm of Pelley.  It was almost a reach for Artie, as Artie was only my height and Pelly was closer to six and a half feet tall.  Pelly just glared down at him.  "You wanna think about what you're doing there, Artie?"

"You're not going to assault me here, Pelley.  We both know that.  Now why don't you go to where you're more welcome?  I hear the sewer pipes need to be cleaned and they are just-a calling your name."

Pelley saw the teachers and the disciplinary vice-principal Mr. Tate watching the lunch room.  "No, not here, Farty, you're right.  But you never know.  Sometimes they're not around.  Then who's gonna protect your ass?"

Artie just stared at him.  "Why do you think I need somebody else to protect me?"  Arties's determination was actually unnerving Pelley some.  Walter was swaying a bit, so wide that was almost bumping into the tables.  He was almost twice as wide as our Jim Kurrash, who was an offensive tackle on the football team.

Pelley did not take his eyes off Artie.  "Ginny, what is a beautiful girl like you doing hanging out with these four eyed dweebs?  You could do so much better."  Pelley pursed his lips together as if he was kissing her.  Artie's fists instinctively bunched up.  I hoped he would remember that what they wanted most was for the staff to think that Artie was the one who started swinging. 

Pelley turned his head and saw Lisa and me.  He gave a soft howl.  "Oh, look at you, pretty lady!  Take care off those granny glasses and you are one hot, foxy lady.  You're not sweet on ol' Marty the Martian are you?  I'm not sure the queer little Daddy's boy is playing your side of the field!  Come over here and experience a real man!"

That did it.  I leapt out of my seat to come over and deck him.  Forget Artie.  Forget the staff.  I was gonna get in the first knock.

Fortunately (for me more than Robert Pelley), Mr. Tate and Mr. Clark took that moment to come over to us.  "What's the problem here, gentleman?" Mr. Tate asked.

Pelley and Walter backpedaled a bit.  "Nothing, your lordship, we were just trying to see if they had a few leftover raspberries for my growing boy Walter here.  Jerry, eat 'em or give to somebody.  Don't let them go to waste!"

The hoodlums left to go harass somebody else someplace else.  The remainder of our breakfast was spent in relative quiet.

Radical Penmanship

Radical penmanship
Sweeps revolutions across the page
Anarchic letters whip
From a broken shattered sage

A note that cries out chaos
Yet causes the heart to beat faster
Meaning penetrates through the kiosk
It takes a few whisks of time to master

A sea of Fancy Q's
A forest of Majestic T
The written voice you peruse
Parts so you startlingly see

Curve around the semi-circle
Hide inside a sea of green
Dance to the fronted turkel
A stockinged visage begins the scene

That is where the language takes you
That is where the time will make you
That is where the note will lead you
That is where the stuffings meet you

Fold the note and put it away
No longer need to stare
Save it for another day
For now you are there

Who knows?
Another day
Ir may tell you something else
Altogether

Fly to Broadway This Summer at the Flying Dragon!!!

Broadway is as close as 405 Tebeau Street this summer as the Summer Broadway Festival begins!  Part one is this June 28th and June 29th at 7 PM.  This will be a great show that displays the talents of both children and adults.  Tickets only $5 apiece.  Other donations gratefully accepted.  

Part Two will be performed August 9th and 10th.  What a great variety of shows!  Two recent animated greats that were adapted into Broadway plays, and one of the most popular musicals of all time.  "Summer Nights" will never be the same!  Come out and enjoy both these shows.!

Come celebrate this enduring and vital children's theater, that is creating a great legacy of support and encouragement of our children's talents and confidence.  We are in the process of settling our new season, and I promise that it will be filled with imagination and wonder.  If you have a child that would like to experience the joys of theater, please mark Flying Dragons as a like on Facebook, and keep following this blog for the most up to date information!


Flying Dragon is a 501(c)3 charity and all donations are tax deductible.  Please contact us to make any donation you would like.  It is particularly important now as we have a light summer schedule, limited resources, and high utility bills as we try to keep the theater comfortable for our young thespians.  We want to continue to do great things in the future and that requires your support and help.

There are a number of great fundraisers coming up, and I will be publishing a new post very soon to entice you with donuts, a clean car, and a parent's night out!

Please note also that for 2013,  I am increasing my tithe of income generated by this site from 10% to 50% given directly to the Flying Dragon Arts Center.

Viva la Flying Dragon!

Ripping Good Yarns: It's Here! Nominate from this FULL list!

It's time for the Second Annual Ripper Awards!  What were the best TV shows of the last year?  Shows considered aired from July 2012 to the present.

I would like to do the same this year, except instead of long form and short form, I will break the dramas into three groups - Broadcast, Basic Cable and Premium Channels.  That seems the fairest way to do it.

So please, submit your nominations now, in any category you desire.  I am looking for scripted (fiction) programs that ran in the last year.  Don't worry about categories.  Just name your favorites and I'll do the sorting out.

Please nominate here or on Facebook.  I am hoping for a great turnout of voters, because the more people participate the more fun it is!

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Rippers, start your nominating engines!

Can't think of the shows that were on this last year?  Here, let me help you out:


Broadcast

666 Park Avenue, Last Resort, Private Practice, Zero Hour, Made In Jersey, 90210, Cult, Emily Owens MD, Gossip Girl, Fringe, The Mob Doctor, Do No Harm, Smash, Red Widow, CSI:NY, Golden Boy, Vegas, The Carrie Diaries, Touch, Deception, Hannibal, Body of Proof, Castle, Revenge. Grey's Anatomy, Nashville, Once Upon A time, Scandal, Criminal Minds, Nikita, Blue bloods, CSI, Elementary, The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-O, The Mentalist, NCIS, NCIS:Los Angeles, Person of Interest, Arrow, Beauty and the Beast, Hart of Dixie, supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Bones, The Following, Chicago Fire, Grimm, Law & Order:SVU, Parenthood, Revolution

Basic Cable

Breakout Kings, The Glades, Longmire, Bates Motel, Bunheads, The Lying Game, Pretty Little Liars, Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Breaking Bad, Hell On Wheels, Mad Men, The Killing, The Walking Dead, Bedlam, Being Human, Copper, Doctor Who, Luther, The Hour, Ripper Street, American Horror Story, The Americans, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Army Wives, The Client List, Drop Dead Diva, Alphas, Continium, Eureka, Haven, Lost Girl, Merlin, sanctuary, Warehouse 13, Defiance, Dallas, Falling Skies, Franklin & Bash, Leverage, Major Crimes, Perception, Rizzoli & Isles, Southland, The Closer, Burn Notice, Common Law, Covert Affairs, Fairly Legal, In Plain Sight, Necessary Roughness, Psych, Royal Pains, Suits, White Collar

Premium Cable

Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Newsroom, Treme, True Blood, Banshee, Strike Back, Dexter, Homeland, The Borgias, Boss, Magic City, Spartacus


Ok!  That should give you a full range of choices!  Nominate as many or as few as you like.  Nominate shows that have already been nominated by others if you like them, because I will choose the ones with the most nominations for the next round of voting.

Nominate now!  (Unless you have done so already)

Ripping Good Yarns: Man of Steel Origin Redux

I have followed the adventures of Superman from toddlerhood, all the way to the present.

My journey with Superman began with  The Adventures of Superman TV series in the late fifties, featuring minimal effects and a barrel chested George Reeves.  The first super hero comic books I read were Action Comics featuring Superman and Adventure Comics featuring Superboy and the Legion of Super Heroes (30th century super powered teenagers from across the United Planets). The Superman movies of the late seventies with Christopher Reeves were the first movies to capture the essence of comic book super heroes.  He still stands out as the best of all those who have portrayed Superman.  The Adventures of Lois and Clark in the nineties played up their relationship and the staff of the Daily Planet.  The recently ended Smallville was a wonderful slow growth view of how Clark Kent became Superman.  Both of these last two shows were wildly uneven in quality, but they did have their moments of greatness, particularly Smallville.

Throughout my life, from the early sixties to the present, I have read Superman comic books.  I have never stopped, and still collect them.  The comics are always at their best when they remember the humanness of Clark Kent, and concentrate on the cast of every day people that surround him.  The comic began in the late thirties with Clark Kent as an investigative reporter very concerned with social justice issues, and he would fight slum lords and corrupt businessmen more often than he would super villains.  That is the Superman I most long to read and see.

Comics, movies and TV tend to reboot the  character every so many years to keep him up to date and fresh.  What that means, in part, is that I have seen the origin of Superman done many, many times.  The Kryptonian origins are explored, enhanced, re-clarified, redone over and over and over.  Although I understand the importance of Superman/Kal-El being of alien origin, fish out of water and all that, I am much more interested in the subsequent stories.

So it is a little disappointing to me that Man of Steel is so heavily focused on the Kryptonian  part of the story.  The world of Krypton is vibrantly brought to life, and the actors portraying the Krypton parts are very good.  Michael Shannon as General Zod may be the best portrayal of a Superman villain I have ever seen.  His sense of menace and fanaticism bleeds though in every frame.

The glimpses of Clark Kent's life are very good, both in growing up and in his early adult wanderings.  But we are quickly thrown into a story that is more cosmic in scope.  There is a strain in the move to try to balance Clark's humanness with the need for big budget action sequences, and I think the human element suffers some. The scope of damage that occurs in the movie is a little bit desensitizing, and Superman is forced into making a decision that suits Batman's nature more than the Big Boy Scout.

Henry Cavill as Superman is excellent, conveying much with his facial expressions, and I think there were other facets of his performance that appealed to Alison, but she has yet to clarify except for giving a deep sigh when I say his name.  Amy Adams as Lois Lane was not particularly compelling.  She played Lois relatively spunkless and toned down.  She is a great actress, however, so I can't help but feel that she was doing exactly what the directors told her to do.  My favorite Lois Lane remains Erica Durance from Smallville.

Even though it was not exactly where I wanted it to go, to be drawn back into the origin story once again, it was a good start, and I am very grateful that the box office was fantastic, increasing the likelihood that more will be made.  I am ready for him to have a confrontation with LexCorp.  I am ready for him to fight for the disadvantaged, the exploited, the underprivileged.  I am ready for the never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American Way!

Bless this House and other Monday Musings

Brilliant strategy.

Both Alison and I have these magical cell phones with cameras right in them.  We had two professional photographers who work for the Blackshear Times (although here as guests, not on assignment).  Did anybody take pictures at our house blessing and party on Friday?

As you can see from the plethora of pictures on this post - no, they did not.

You'll just have to take my word that it was a great event, and we are very grateful for Rev. Kit Brinson and all our guests for helping make this a memorable time for us,

It was the first time I had witnessed an Episcopalian Celebration and Blessing of a Home, and it was a wonderful and special ceremony.  Rev. Kit and everyone went from room to room, each given  it's own bible reading and prayer, followed by sprinkling of holy water.  This even included the bathroom.

The cross above was our present from the church, and now hangs in the foyer behind the kitchen and the study.

We spent Saturday in Brunswick and St. Simon's.  We saw the movie Man of Steel, of which I hope to have a more full review of later.  Suffice to say that I am very grateful that the movie was a financial success this weekend, and I look forward to future movies about Superman.  We also ate at Southern Soul Barbecue, where I enjoyed a BarbeCuban.  It was very good.  Then we hit some of the stores in Brunswick, including Target and Books-A-Million.

Sunday was home here.  We went to church and Kroger, but otherwise just enjoyed our freshly blessed home.  Alison's father came over and we had lasagna, and great conversation.

A pretty nice weekend, and now it's Monday morning.  At least this week I look over the horizon and note only one meeting, so that is a great contrast to last week, where there was something every night.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Shortest Soap Box Ever Saturday Political Soap Box 67

No family should ever go broke trying to save the life of a sick child.


If you agree, bur still dislike "Obamacare", then please explain your alternatives to make sure this never happens.  And please. private charity can never be wide enough and comprehensive enough to cover everyone.  I would rather my private charity dollars go to cures than having to pay the family's medical bills.



If you disagree..........move.  I'm sure you'd be happier in Somalia or AynRandia.

Starless Starless Night

I looked out upon a starless sky
The stars were gone; I don't know why

The moon was there in full glory
It's pale glow still a part of the story

But there were no dippers, little or big
No Orion or Pegasus, no Quantum dig

Just the glow of the moon and no twinkle
The stars were lost in a physics wrinkle

The universe had disappeared: vanished away
Only the earth and moon were here to stay

If all the stars were gone, was our sun still there?
We could only wait for morning to clear

If...........
If the dawn would ever come
                                       again.

Meeting with High Anxiety

My sister was probably not impressed.

When we were in Michigan, and I told her about my coming week, I told her I was very stressed about two meetings coming up, one with the Writer's Guild and one with the Flying Dragon Arts Center. As a legislative coordinator for the Secretary of Education of the State of Michigan, she has probably more meetings in a week than I have in a year.

With the type of accounting I do, there is just not a high demand for me to meet with a lot of people.  Sometimes there are conferences with individual clients, but a meeting of a larger group, especially where I would have to say anything, is extremely rare.What few meetings I have are mostly related to church and theater and other groups outside of work.

The OHC Writer's Guild group meeting concerned me because it was summer and I felt like our attendance might slip.  I also had some of my writings I wanted to read, and I felt nervous about that.  We did have a bit smaller crowd, but we also had two new members.  I am supposed to lead the meeting as President or Chairman or what ever it is that I am of the group.  It's a little dicey as I have others in the group who are more familiar with Robert's rules of order than I am, and I have to be corrected every now and then. I also lost my nerve on reading my stories, as I passed them out near the end of the meeting and read only one of three.  The one I picked had typos in it, and I felt the group's interest slipping away as I read it, and was suddenly overwhelmed by the mediocrity of my writing.  This may or may not have been true, but I always live with feelings of insecurity that sometimes bubble up to the surface.

But the Writer's Guild meeting ended with the group still intact and fired up, so my feelings will pass, at least until the second Tuesday of the month approaches again.

The second meeting, the Flying Dragon meeting, was a bit rougher.  Important decisions await in that group. It was my job to present the financial data in such a way that everyone understood the fiscal situation that we were in.  This worried me because often with accounting, it's not easy to shift and say things in a way that everybody understands.  Sometimes you fall into jargon and what seems abundantly clear to you may sound like gobbledygook to others.

But I marshaled my facts, taking hours of work time and many hours more of my personal time to get the information ready, and presented things as clearly as I could.  Some who heard it told me that I did a good job in conveying it.  Others whose opinion I greatly value were silent or vague.  And yet others seem unperturbed by anything I said.  Whether they understood it or not, I don't know. I didn't expect to change hearts and minds.  I just wanted people to be fully informed about the consequences of their decisions.

So my meeting experiences are over, at least for now.  I got through them, a little shaken, a little less confident about myself, but still riding the horse.  Even though I am shakily grabbing the reins, I ain't been bucked off yet.

Ripping Good Yarns: No Entertainment Zone

For some of us, there are things we just refuse to watch or read.  Whole genres that are blocked from our view.  Places we will not be dragged to.

We spent last weekend in Michigan, visiting my father and sister, staying at my sister's house.  They were incredibly kind and generous hosts.  They provided a comfortable room and bed, delicious meals, fresh towels, and great conversation.

Some of that conversation centered on different television shows.  Falling Skies was mentioned and I realized that I had forgotten to record it at home.  There was also a discussion of Nathan Filllion the actor, and that my sister, Carol, had recently watched the great science fiction series Firefly and it's movie follow up, Serenity.  She loved it but said she had to watch these shows alone, as Mike, her husband and my brother-in-law, refused to watch anything with even the slightest taint of science fiction or fantasy.  A commercial came on for The Great and Powerful Oz, and Carol mentioned she wanted to see it, but would have to rent it and see it by herself.  Being incredible fans of many science and fantasy programs, movies and books, Alison and I were a little startled at Mike's decision.  We never really got an explanation from Mike as to why he disdained such a widely popular genre, without even being willing to sample any.

This is not to pick on Mike.  I think many of us exclude one genre or another out of hand.  For some, it may be the only way to cope and filter the large volume of entertainment choices out there.  I do try to be open to shows that are in genres I don't normally watch. I'm not a big fan of family dramas or dramadies, but I did enjoy Party of Five, and was a really big fan of Gilmore Girls.  I tried Parenthood for two seasons, but finally decided to let Alison watch that on her own.  I am very selective with police procedurals, but do watch a few,  Right now I am watching CSI and The Killing, but the vast majority of CBS (except CSI and The Mentalist), TNT (except Saving Grace, which is not on any more) and USA (except Psych) crime shows completely lose me.

So are there any genres that I are in my No Entertainment Zone?  Well, off the scope of the Ripping Good Yarns categories, although I do watch an occasional realty competition, I have a virtually complete disdain of realty based shows, particularly those based on an individual or career.  I would sooner watch a test pattern than Duck Dynasty or Honey Boo Boo.  The one exception has been American Pickers, with it's propensity to discover interesting antiques.  I don't watch it very often, but it is something that I can sometimes share with Alison.  There are a whole fleet of shows Alison watches on HGTV, where my eyes just glaze over and I shut them out.

The biggest exclusion that I have that would incringe on Ripping Good Yarns territory are medical shows, both fiction and non-fiction.  I cannot stand to watch disease of the week type shows.  Hanging out at the hospital with arrogant, omnipotent doctors is not my idea of a good time. As an adult, this ban has been pretty thorough and complete.  The only exception (other than a few episodes of Chicago Hope) has been M*A*S*H, which was as much or more a show about coping with war as it was a medical show.

So there you have it.  My No Entertainment Zones.  If you have any you would like to share, please comment here or on Facebook.  Or if you have a medical show that you think someone who doesn't like medical shows should try, let me know that as well.

Sometimes, even No Entertainment Zones should be flown into.

Best Birthday Ever

My son Benjamin, my father, and myself at his apartment at Independence Village in East Lansing, Michigan.  This was taken on my Birthday this last Sunday,  It was the first time in many years that I got to spend my birthday with him.  We normally come down on or around his birthday (he'll turn 91 on June 29th), but that was not going to work out this year.  Instead we flew down this last weekend, and had a great three days with him. He has very limited mobility, and esophagus damage that makes it difficult for him to speak clearly,  but he remains as intelligent and loving as ever.

My father with Benjamin and Alison.  My father loves his grandson and Alison very much.  

The place where my Dad stays has  a courtyard with its own duck family.

Our rental car, which I called the Little Red Soulvette.

Post Birthday Monday Musings

It was a good birthday.

My campaign to be 48 rather than 58 met with mixed reaction.  Sometimes when you kid as much as I do people don't always know when I'm serious.  But I thought it was a pretty good plan.  It seemed reasonable.  And why not?  If age is just a number shouldn't we have more discretion in deciding what age we want to be?

My present was to go to a book convention, one that specialized in pulp magazines, old genre books and some comics.  I found the Twilight Magazine from the early 80s that had Jack McDevitt's first published short story in it, The Emerson Effect.  This award wining author discussed it with us when he was our special guest at the last Writer's Guild meeting.

My desert was a Cinnamon roll with maple frosting.  It tasted very good.  Thankfully, Alison did not try to put candles on it.

I have another Writer's Guild meeting Tuesday, and an important Flying Dragon meeting Wednesday.  Then Friday is hour House Blessing and House Party.  Busy week, but I hope Saturday or Sunday includes The Man of Steel.  Really looking forward to that movie.

I am reading the Second Wizard of Oz book by L. Frank Baum.  It is definitely weirder than the first, almost Lewis Carroll-like in it's nonsensical approach.  One of the ideas is General Jingur and her all-female army.  Not quite as progressive as it sounds, but nevertheless an interesting idea for its time.

Until next time,

T.M. Strait

Political Roots Saturday Political Soap Box 66

My opinions are my own.  They are the result of my own analysis and evaluation, and are not derived from any individual or any particular set of writings.


What a crock.


We are all influenced by others in our lives.  The values that our parents and ancestors have effects our values and beliefs.  Those whom we grow up with and communicate with shape our opinions, whether we care to admit it or not.

My father and his family were progressives.  They weren't hippies or radical or counter-cultural.  They just always had an instinct of what's fair and decent, that people should be treated equally and fairly, that you should get a fair day's wages for a hard day's work, that unbridled wealth and power should always be checked and counterbalanced, that taxes were good if they went to schools and roads and community services, that those less fortunate should be helped by those more fortunate.

Being a farm family, they originally supported the presidential runs of William Jennings Bryan, a passionate defender of the rural farmer and the average working man, and a politician who was almost pacifistic in his view of foreign affairs and military involvement.  They voted for Teddy Roosevelt when he ran as a third party candidate, under the Bull-moose banner.  By the time of FDR, they were solidly in the Democratic camp.

My Dad did vote for Eisenhower in 1952, but did not vote for him again in 1956.  I asked him why and he told me, "Son, I try not to make the same mistake twice."

During the 1972 election, I was still too young to vote, but I actively campaigned for George McGovern, someone whom I consider to be one of the finest political figures of my lifetime.  I was able to persuade all of my voting age family on both sides to vote for McGovern.  It is a vote and a campaign that I am still very proud of to this day.  It was a big wake up call to me on politics, as I remember that many around knew that Nixon was a crook, and that McGovern was a decent man, but voted for Nixon anyway.

My father was the second one in my family to talk up Barack Obama (my son Benjamin was the first). He recognized that Obama's multi-cultural background, incredible intelligence, calm decision making skills, and common sense approach would help make him the best available person to lead the country. And he was right.  Unfortunately, we all underestimated the level of vitriol and passionate hatred that would exude from the other side, people who would oppose him even when he endorsed positions that they had previously held.

My father was an extremely hard working individual.  Nobody I knew put in longer hours and worked harder than he did.  He was a gifted educator, who was a phenomenal teacher and then first-class school administrator.  He dressed and behaved conservatively.  He did not drink or smoke or carouse in any way.  He never took a hand out from anybody.  When I qualified to receive a State Merit scholarship, he refused to fill out the paper work, as he wanted us to do it on our own. He was devoted to his job, and he loves his family.  Even though we didn't always go to church, no one taught me more about what it really means to be a Christian than my father.

So I have learned through him that living a personally conservative lifestyle is perfectly compatible with intensely liberal politics.  You can be a devoted family person, hard working, not overindulge, be a Christian, and also be a political progressive.  In fact, for me, it makes the most sense of all.

I love my Dad, and I am glad that I have inherited his politics.