Three Shell Buy In

I have three shells
Underneath one is krell
Watch him mix them up
You won't know whassup.

He's the magic man
He does what he can
Fools you with sleight of hand
You forget he follows Rand

It's only later you realize you were fooled
It's only then you see that you were tooled
But you paid the money in
You gave him his safety pin

Now you find yourself broke and let
You no longer have safety net
You played the game
Now it's the same

Welcome to the shell game

Ripping Good Yarns: Vote For Your Hall of Fame Movie

After a series on new fall TV, let's return to the movie screens, and resume Ripping good Yarn's selection of a movie to be the first in the Hall of Fame.

There's nothing like going to the movie show!  The old drive-ins we went to with my parents, the large downtown movie theaters that even had balconies. the old Court Theater in Saginaw that on Saturday afternoons would show a double feature, cartoons, a serial chapter and more for no more than a quarter or two.  Even the suburban megaplexes with their cushier chairs, stadium seating, deluxe sound systems and 3D.  Of course, now, admission may take a trip to the small loan department!

So I could wax all day about my love affair with going to the movies.  And that's just one of many ways people see great movies now.  They might download them, watch them on TV, rent a DVD, or even see them on their phone.

For my new Ripping Good Yarn award, I would like to start a Hall of Fame for movies.  We will start with a general category, for movies all types.  these movies are a mix of my selections and movies nominated by Rippers.  They included only movies made before 2000..

Please look at the following and vote for one of the following to be our first Hall of Fame entry.  There are no rules of judgement regarding selection.  It can be a personal favorite, or you can have well reasoned logic based on critical review or even box office.  It's all up to you! you can vote for more than one if you like, but then I will fraction your vote accordingly.  Feel free to vote or comment here or on Facebook.

Here are the ten nominees to pick from:

Wizard of Oz

Gone with the Wind

It's A Wonderful Life

Casablanca

Star Wars

The Princess Bride

E.T.

The Breakfast Club

Psycho

Raiders of the Lost Ark

I wait your input, Rippers!  The final selection is yours!

Miracles and Magic at the Flying Dragon!

The Miracle Worker starts the Saturday at 7 PM!  The above are some of the great cast members of   this production, including, from left to right, Nawin Hyers, Elizabeth Beck, Amara Grace Jeffords and Kayla Peacock.  This is an exciting, meaningful show that will be both entertaining and inspirational.

Fascinating!  The Beck's family dog, Bella, will have a role as Belle.  Dogs on stage!  She is an extraordinarily sweet dog, and I think it will be fun to see!

Last night, Robin Hood rehearsals continued afoot.  In these pictures, our co-director, Karissa Cook, helps organize our Young Merry Children's Association.

Nice poster!  Includes show dates!

Governor Romney Is A Master Debater

For one glorious year, I was the debate coach at Cass City High School in Michigan.  At a time way before the Internet, the only research tools we had were the books and magazines we ourselves could gather.  There were other schools with larger teams and budgets who were very capable of out-researching us.  So we had to find a different way to win.

Debates were often about how many quotes or researched references a debater could squeeze in in the time allotted   It almost became a scorecard, so that if they had 7 quotes supporting their side, you just had to rapid fire 8 quotes to beat them.  It often involved the ability to speak fast and deliver the most quotes per minute.  It didn't make for an interesting or even informative contest.

So my debaters learned to be more communicative, colorful if you will, with their language.  We concentrated on the non-verbal part and our rhetorical flourishes.  I had some highly intellectual debaters who also knew how to give a good speech with a flourish.  We didn't win the state, but we were good enough to finish third, the most successful finish the school had ever had to that date.

But we didn't lie to do it.  We didn't make up facts.  We stuck to the truth, and we supported our more flourishing rhetoric.

Governor's Romney's non-verbals were superb for what he needed.  The President's were not that good.  Not sighing Al Gore bad, but still not very good.  In debate parlance, when Romney raised a point, President Obama did not rise up to refute or combat it.

To me, of course, Governor Romney came across as manic used car salesman.  I thought I was going to be offered twice the Sham Wow for the price of one.  But I'm not insane.  I saw the poll results.  That's not what wide swaths of low information voters saw.  They saw a man taking charge of the debate, even disrespecting the moderator, a man whose positions appeared to be much more moderate than they had been led to believe.

That's because Governor Romney was lying.  He was denying everything he had been advocating for months, and finally shifting to the middle.  What a perfect place to do it.  Especially if you have no core, and your only value is to get elected President at all costs.

And there was nothing the President could (it would have been nice if he looked up more, but, oh well).  How do you, as they say, nail jello to the wall?  You could tell the President was visibly thrown off when Governor Romney denied his own tax plan.  If the man was going to lie about the very basics, what the heck could you do?

Should President Obama have challenged Romney more?  Yes, I think so, but it may not have had the results you expect.  President Obama cannot do what Governor Romney did.  He could not appear manic - his whole presidency is built on his calm, cool demeanor.  He couldn't even do the vicious zingers Romney did.  The one time he did something even close, according to a focus group, it was President Obama's worst moment in the debate (when he said Romney was saying "never mind" to his own tax plan).  And why can't he do what Romney did?  Partly because he is the President of the United States and carries a higher dignity than the challenger.  But mostly because President Obama is black, and this country would be completely wigged out by anything that could be convoluted as the "angry black man".  My post from two years ago, Authentic Frontier Gibberish, deals in depth with this topic.

The next debate is a town hall format.  The President should do better (I hope).  And if there is any justice in the world, the lies and Flim-flannery that Governor Romney used will be exposed.

So, yes, for the context of one debate, without resorting to that pesky fact-checking, Governor Romney was a master debater.  But I have a feeling if it were a high school debate, he would have lost big time.  Yes, he was rhetorically more dynamic and engaging, but call me a stickler   Call me too fussy.  But  I don't think you can win just by making s---- up.

But, who knows?

American voters, particularly the low-information swing voters - it's going to be up to you.

Now is a good time to pray.

Reigniting Baseball Fever

The Detroit Tiger's recent run in the baseball playoffs has reminded of something that I had forgotten.

I used to really like baseball.

Don't get me wrong.  I couldn't play at all.  I may be the single worst ball player you've ever seen.  I'm not sure that I've ever had a successful base hit.  For the closest I ever came, see the blog story Run, You Idiot, Run about my third grade hit and furtive run around the base paths.

On the other hand, I loved the simulation baseball games of the seventies, even participated in a play by mail league.  I received my high school varsity letter for being the statistician of the baseball team.  The Detroit Tiger championship of 1968 is still the biggest sports spectator moment of my life.  And I do have a lifetime pass to the National Baseball Hall of Fame (story for another day).  I spent hours going over and analyzing baseball stats.

Now, I barely know that they play.  I no longer follow stats or standings, except for an occasional interest in where the Tigers stand, or learn enough about the Atlanta Braves so that when my son, Doug, or my boss at work talk about them, I am not completely blown away.

How did baseball lose it's place in my life?  I'm not quite sure.  I know Alison doesn't follow it all, but I have retained other interests she doesn't participate in.  It hurts that I no longer get a daily newspaper that has standings or stats.  The Internet, although vastly informative, is not the same as having the numbers in your hand. I  suppose it hurts that since I'm in a numbers profession, having a hobby where my primary interest was statistical, made it a little too close as to what I do at work. And the steroid scandal made me wonder how much the numbers had been warped and manipulated.

Then the Tigers do well, and I think, I can reignite this passion!  I can become a baseball fan again!  But then the fever fades.

Maybe not this time, though!

Go Tigers!

Bible Verses That Are Important To Me 6

            When  Jesus came up to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.  He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.  He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written;

“The spirit of the Lord is upon me,

    because he has anointed me

        to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

     and recovery of sight to the blind.

         to let the oppressed go free,

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”    

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.  The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  Then Jesus began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

            From Luke 4:16-21

                  This helps me have a better understanding of who Jesus is and why he came

Waiting for the Last Train

Illustration made by Will Jacques, designed for this story!  Awesome!

There was one train yet to arrive.

He knew that if she wasn't on that one, he would never see her again.

The first train arrived at nine that morning.  The only passengers to disembark were an elderly couple.  There were nobody he recognized.  They seemed confused.  Maybe they had gotten off at the wrong stop.  They finally went off with Pastor Dan.

The second train arrived at noon.  One man got out.  He looked very frightened.  He said that everyone was warned to get out.  Because they were coming.  They would be in there in less than twelve hours.  And if you had not left, you would be either be killed or become enslaved.  Despite this warning, many were still hesitant to leave.  The man said he had friends here he was hoping would be waiting for him.  But they had not shown up yet.  He tried to use a cell, but there was no reception.  He got mad and threw the phone onto the third rail.  An hour later, his lover Branders showed up and took him away.

The third train arrived at three.  A young girl of twelve got out.  She had been sent by her parents to meet her Aunt Petrice.  The girl had on a tartan skirt that came to just above her knees, a white blouse, and a blue beret.  She seemed to be a little shaken.  She said there had been some scuffling at the station.  She thought she heard shots as they were pulling away.  He tried to ask if she knew who he was waiting for, but the little girl did not recognize the name.  Her Aunt Petrice came and after some tears, she took her away.

The fourth train arrived at six that evening.  Three women got out, but none were the one he was waiting for.  The women were very frightened, and their clothing was torn.  Their faces had streaks of ash and dirt.  They looked at him as if they were not sure where they were or what was going on.  A carriage came, and a man dressed like a nineteenth century servant guided them into the carriage.

The fifth train arrived at nine that evening.  Parts of the train were on fire. He could see the burned corpses in the first car.  From the second car emerged a young boy and his father.  They said there would be only  one more train.  Everything was breaking down.  The things they feared were only a few hours away.  No one came to pick the boy and his father up.  They just left the station and wandered down the street.

She promised she would leave.  The last conversation they had before the cells stopped working assured him that she understood the urgency of escape.  But she said she had some things to finish up first.  He knew she had a lover she saw there.  He didn't care.  He just wanted her back again.

Midnight came.  It was time for the train to arrive.

Nothing.

A half hour after midnight, he heard the explosions in the distance.

There were no more trains.  The place they had come from was no longer there.

Nevertheless, he found he couldn't leave the station.  He didn't want to give up.  He didn't want to lose hope.

Two days later, Pastor Dan told him he would need to leave.  They were coming.

He didn't leave.  He stayed.  Until they came.

And then the waiting ended.