Of disgraceful Grammys, MTV, HBO, and the music we sing

Since the Super Bowl XXXVIII incident in Houston, NASCAR has used a money and points (or laps if in-race) penalty system as a crackdown on obscene language. In 2004, Johnny Sauter, Ron Hornaday Jnr (both NNS), and Dale Earnhardt Jnr (NSCS) were each fined $10,000 and 25 points penalties each for use of improper language on-air in broadcasts. Two years later, Kevin Manion (NSCS) was punished for an obscenity with an ejection penalty, ejecting his driver from a race, costing more than 25 points. By 2007, Tony Stewart (NSCS) was awarded a $25,000 fine with the 25-point penalty for another obscenity. In 2008, Chad Walter (NNS) was fined $10,000 and the entire Dale Earnhardt Jnr #5 NNS team punished with a 25-point penalty for an obscenity. In November, Kyle Busch (NSCS) was fined $25,000 when he signalled an obscene gesture towards an official where NASCAR threw a two-lap penalty that was worth more than 50 points.

The penalty system reminded me of an article from Dennis Prager on National Review about the demise of music after he reviewed the 2011 Grammy Awards nominations for the coarse, fine and points-worthy language of these ditties, considering the nomination of songs and albums with such $25,000 words when 25 years ago, people were winning $25,000 atop an Egyptian tomb when the World Oldest Teenager said, “Here is your first subject, GO!”. Mr. Prager noted MTV has destroyed the youth of this country since its development in 1981 because of music video scenes that are shown for less than two seconds, and explicit imagery and talk on such programming. He also noted the National Recording Academy for the Arts and Sciences voted to support such language, which in my view is reminiscent of what has happened to the Emmy Awards since HBO and Showtime, which have won the majority of key Emmys with programming that features coarse language and illegal for network television scenes.

MTV has destroyed music in more ways than you can expect. Instead of hearing pipe organs playing serious sacred song, today's dominant churches (life enhancement centres actually) are playing the same level of rock music with emotions, and the tunes have no Biblical message. Some of the songs are outright secular and inappropriate. Still others are excessively loud that it violates OSHA standards. We've seen a demise in wonderful music in the church since the MTV generation's control, and it shows when kids would rather dance to “Spirit in the Sky” (with a blasphemous reference), any ditty of the prosperity gospel promoted by “Smiling Joel” Osteen, or even sing the incorrect theology of the “Wailing Women and Moaning Men”.

What is promoted by MTV through their various networks is downright disgraceful. I cannot picture myself listening to any of the inappropriate trash that is called “Grammy Worthy” when I have found myself in an era where classical music, and operas, have become part of my musical culture, especially since I attended a Charleston Spoleto performance of Susan Patterson as Manon Lescault ten years ago this coming May, followed by years of vocal training that has sent me to many sacred and secular works from the world's greatest composers.

There's a clear difference between sitting in the tenor section of the choir after you've finished your first long “Kyrie Eleison” then hearing Ashley Briggs sing a long and beautiful “Kyrie Eleison” from the opening of Beethoven's Mass in C Major and hearing Thomas Calloway, Marshall Mathers, Robyn Fenty, or Shawn Carter and their $25,000 obscenity-laden ditties. Which one is more suitable for a family? Which one is more suited to be heard? Which one would children prefer? The unfortunate issue is today's generation prefers the bleep-a-tenth and the inappropriate content of modern rock music, and not the beauty of Beethoven. Obviously, as the photo from the concert shows, there's a songbook for both of us and my direction is one way.

The content of the 2011 Grammy Awards with its excessive use of inappropriate language is concerning, and does not fit in the wheelhouse of us who have attended, read, or sung classical music, considering what is featured. Mr. Prager is correct. The Grammys, and all of pop music today, is such a disgrace for the questionable material that is being nominated. Yet we have generations in church who think it's more acceptable than the serious church music that we've sung. ◙

Opera Wednesday

Last month, I attended a pair of one-act operas based on Charles Dickens stories, A Christmas Carol ("Mr. Scrooge") and A Tale of Two Cities ("Miss Havisham's Wedding Night"), as part of "A Dickens of an Evening". As usual, I do not review operas where I have conflict of interest since it would be impossible for me to review anything that features singers or musicians with whom I have sung in Beethoven's Mass in C Major (2010), Excerpts from Haydn's Die Jahreszeiten (2009), or any of the numerous Händel's Messiah excerpts that I have participated (2005-present) (with virtually disqualifies me from the majority of events I attend). The Sunday production that I attended featured my voice teacher's fiancé, and the Saturday that I did not attend had her (we sat together for the Sunday production), and the accompanist was the lady of whom accompanied the Beethoven and Haydn productions I mentioned. Mr. Scrooge himself is the bass who has sung at Mass in C Major, therefore disqualifying me from any reviews, so I can only discuss reflections on the operas.

The first opera's story was haunting and tragic (and featured Dr. Hill on Saturday, which disqualifies me from any review), and to me sounded similar to a woman's betrayal at the wedding altar, a female Figaro in a tragic way. The soliloquy was about Miss Havisham (from Great Expectations) being betrayed and staying in one room fifty years previously at the altar. Sadly, with the way some of us who are not yet married look at life, it is a sad state to see this is not the type of person you want to be in your seventies, and the anger of the woman will make a man want to find the right woman, and marry her, before it is too late. The haunting theme wants me to read this book, and sadly, our education system has corrupted the standards of literature by ignoring Dickens in favour of Communist authors such as Richard Wright.

It was interesting that Samuel Douglas, who is a music professor at South Carolina (my alma mater), composed the 35-minute piece. Cleve Callison, father of John, who was the Ghost of Jacob Marley in Mr. Scrooge, noted how his son had to sing as a mummy with linen wrapped around the head to keep the jaw with the head in burial. The creepiness of the opera and the ghosts of the Christmases were reminiscent of Scrooge's attitude in the Dickens story. But the joy of Christmas had to be there, and the story was reminiscent of Dickens to an angle. Why do we ignore Dickens today for authors who are not qualified except for their politically correct standards?

Mr. Scrooge was locally composed by Samuel O. Douglas. And for those of you who aren't familiar, you may notice some familiar faces and names in the promotional videos they had for the operas.  ◙

Now what did I do?

Wait a minute - it's that other Mitchell.

You have no idea how disconcerting it is to see a headline like that.

(Screenshot from NRO) ◙

"Attack of the Sillies" Digest

This time, the Digest is from Formula One, and it's the Attack of the Silly Season. The Silly Season is now up and running before Bahrain comes.

Double Indy 500 and triple IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti thinks his cousin (Paul Di Resta) is better than Sebastian Vettel. Hmmm . . . trying to get Di Resta into a better ride than Force India?

James Allen: Williams confirms GP2 Champion Pastor Maldonado, who has the backing of the Chávez government, to join Barrichello in the team.

Autosport: The dispute that could have put the Qantas Grand Prix off the calendar has been resolved; round two of the 2011 season in Melbourne is a go.

Andrew Benson: F1 Moves to Set Green Agenda (1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder hybrid engines is the plan for 2013).

FIA: With F1 rules regarding car numbers, each year team numbers are based on the previous year's results. There are no permanent numbers as to make #1 be the best, #3 and #4 second-best team, and so forth. No #13.

Telegraph: Luca di Montezemolo (Ferrari) may step down to pursue political career to go after Berlusconi. ◙

Over the river and through the woods

Guest column by Cathy of Alex

 ....to (insert name) house we go!

As I stared out at the white snow colored landscape outside my window this morning and sipped my coffee (good times, good times) I wondered about the death, or rather, dearth of grandparents in the generations to come.

In my generation, grandparents are often the only stable couple a child will know. Their parents may be divorced or never married. In my generation, divorce and cohabitation have risen but the wave spared the grandparents. So, no matter what marital state, or not, your parents were in you could count on going to your grandparents for the holidays and experiencing, perhaps, a taste of what a marriage is and can be.

Not so for much longer, forget divorce, marriage itself has fallen out of favor. There is a marked increase in people who think marriage is not necessary for much of anything. Cohabitation is ok, having kids with multiple partners is ok. The result; it’s not just trading weekends with parents anymore, now it’s trading holidays with grandparents too.

Which grandparent do we visit? Who is grandma living with this month? Even the elderly have begun to embrace cohabitation. Why get married? Too much of a tax hit.

I see a day when the decision of who to visit on the holiday will become so confusing and uncertain that more and more people will elect to stay home.

The NFL may profit from more TV’s turned in to football games but children certainly will not.

I’m sad for the kids who will never know what I did-holidays with my parents and family at my maternal and paternal grandparent’s homes. No, it wasn’t always Norman Rockwell but it was as solid and comforting and Grandma’s custard pie.It was a place to enchange stories and learn family history. It was a place to connect with people who shared your own blood. It was a place to learn what made a marriage work and didn’t from the experts-couples who were married 40 and 60 years.

Many kids will never receive these valuable life lessons. That’s a tragedy. ◙

Opinion Digest

We haven't shared some opinions but here we go with another round of good ones.

Mona Charen: For Boys' Sake, Don't Kill the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

L. Brent Bozell III: Shock Art and "Social Dignity".

Robert Costa and Andrew Stiles: Governess Haley Rolls Up Her Sleeves.

Michelle Malkin: The Little Victims of Obamacare.

Dennis Prager: Self-Esteem and Character.  As an aside, if I had stayed at the parochial school after sixth grade, I probably would have broken my maiden and won a game with the varsity baseball team. I never broke my maiden playing sports.

◙

Thanksgiving leftovers

You remember last week we took a look at some Thanksgiving programming from the early and mid 60s. As an afterthought, I pulled out this issue of TV Guide from November 1971 - not one of my favorite eras from either television or TV Guide (the severly truncated style used in the programming section generates absolutely no interest), but even here there are bits and pieces that make your post-Thanksgiving snack more than palatable.  (As before, all photos are from the author's collection.)

You can see at right that the parades are still big - both networks have expanded their coverage to three hours - but without the pictures and the full-page close-up, it doesn't have quite as much charm.

What I remember most about Thanksgiving 1971 - what any sports fan would remember - is the epic "Game of the Century," the showdown between Nebraska and Oklahoma, the top two teams in the country.  As you can see from the listings, there was every reason to believe this was destined to be a big one - but for once, the game actually lived up to the hype.  Oklahoma, playing before a frenzied home crowd, with quarterback Jack Mildren playing the game of his life, rallied from an 11-point deficit to take a 31-28 lead  (on an audacious 4th down touchdown pass from Mildren to Harrison) more than halfway through the fourth quarter, only to have Nebraska counter with a late touchdown and win, 35-31.  Over 55 million people, at the time the largest television audience ever for a college football game, were left drained.  (Click on the image at left to enlarge.)

Notice that opposite the football, NBC is showing "Cricket on the Hearth," which shows that in the 70s there was still romm for holiday-themed programming in the afternoon (see the variety shows of the 60s, for example).  "Cricket" was followed by "The Mouse on the Mayflower"; unfortunately, neither of these cartoons seem to be part of the holiday canon anymore, at least on TV.  Cute ad, though.

Unbelievably, for a nation of football fans still exhausted from one of the greatest college football games of all time, there was still another game to follow - Georgia (9-1) vs. Georgia Tech (6-4). Less emotional, but no less competitive, as the Bulldogs win 28-24. I wonder how many were able to even stay awake for that, between the drama of the first game and the tryptophan of the turkey.

And - well, that's about it for Thanksgiving day.  There was no Arthur Godfrey special to wind down with, no Garry Moore for the family to sit around enjoying.  There was a regular compliment of series programming (all of it, interestingly, original - the idea of showing reruns on Thanksgiving hadn't yet become the norm) and a CBS documentary on the American Dream (wonder how many people watched that?), but the only signs of variety were regular episodes of Flip Wilson and Dean Martin.

On Friday there was a basketball game on ABC (generously advertised during the Turkey Day games), preceded by ABC's cartoon festival from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., when the Saturday cartoons made a rare Friday appearance.  (They did that for many years, before cartoons themselves became passé with kids. Thankfully, though, Thanksgiving itself hasn't - yet - become passé. ◙

Giving Thanks, 5k record, and carolighting challenge

Thanksgiving Week Reflections:

There's no time for (much) turkey . . . I have to RUN! Thanksgiving Day started off with a blast . . . literally. I joined a pair of friends in Gran Amistad, Caroline Lewis-Jones (the dancer I mentioned in regards to injuries a while back), and Stephanie Nye (my partner from the 2008 Starpower Nationals-qualifying “Hand Jive”), along with Stephanie's boyfriend John, Mrs. Spurrier and daughter, and over 600 others started off Thanksgiving literally with a blast at the Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands Turkey Day Run VI at the Colonial Life Arena. This year's race was five thousand meters (unlike the 8,000 meters we ran the first five years; the other two cities didn't want police to work much on Thanksgiving, which is a shame because last year's 8k was capped at 500 on race morning; organisers extended registration to ensure this wouldn't happen this year, and 673 runners made the 5k run this year. But I did miss the three-city, two-bridge Thanksgiving 8k that made it unique. Now Ray Tanner's 12k was a three-city, two-bridge race but that's a longer distance.

By the time I challenged myself to racing my friends (they ran quickly that I was four and a half minutes behind by the time they crossed the line, I was about a half mile behind them), I knew something was going to happen, and the clock reported the truth. I had turned a time of 27:26 for the 5,000 metres, easily beating the 28:58 I had set on Memorial Day weekend in Jailbreak IV (a 5k organised by the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, start and finish in the county jail) for my fastest 5k ever. Ate little to celebrate, and worked out with Stephanie the next morning with 2 ½ hours of cardio (she did 2 ½ hours too that Friday). How did our friendship start with being paired for a Grease-inspired dance?

Governor's Carolighting. An e-mail came from the choral director from college that he wanted to hastily organise a choir because the traditional Governor's Carolighting ceremony's fate was not decided until the late minute. With no choral gigs taking place this fall I decided to take a shot at this event.

We had to practice at 2 for 90 minutes before one final practice at 5:20 before we went on at 5:45. Talk about pressure with songs most of us didn't know! Enjoyed the experience, with Händel, Mendelssohn, Leontovich, Wilhousky, and even some “African carols”. However, I was not pleased with the Gospel Choir at a college for performing to karaoke when we had two accompanists ready for the Children's Choir and the Community Choir, respectively. Why does that college choir leader think their group is better with karaoke? And don't get me started on winter songs being used instead of Christmas songs as we saw with four selections on this night. I have a friend in Australia and it's summer and people spend Christmas on the beach, and it's warmer than 90 degrees.

I have plenty of people to thank here but especially Larry and Susan Wyatt, who directed the choirs, and Camille Jones and Nathan Doman, our accompanists. Cannot say enough how this challenge was tough to do on short notice, but Raycom's Dawndy Mercer Plank (Mistress of Ceremonies) could not even hear that we were just organised in hours. ◙

Retro TV Friday: Thanksgiving Edition

Thanksgiving often seems like an underappreciated holiday, serving as little more than a warmup act for Christmas, and people seem eagar to get it out of the way so they can invade the stores in the dawn hours of Black Friday.  (Those stores that aren't actually open on Thanksgiving, that is.) . Back in the day, however, Turkey Day used to get a little more love.  And so this seemed to be a good reason (or at least a good excuse) to dip into the TV Guide archives for a look at Thanksgiving through the early 60s, as seen on TV.

This first picture below above is from Thanksgiving 1962.  Then, as now, the Thanksgiving Day Parade was a mainstay of both CBS and NBC.  As now, NBC was the network of the Macy's Parade, with longtime hosts Betty White and Lorne Greene.  CBS had the Macy's Parade too, but they also specialized in parades from around the country - the Gimbels' parade in Philadelphia (wonder why TVG gives this big press?  It's because their headquarters were in Pennsylvania) and the Hudson's parade in Detroit.  The department stores aren't around anymore, but both Philly and Detroit continue to celebrate the day with big parades. 

I always preferred the CBS coverage - Macy's was OK, but getting to see Detroit and Philadelphia (and later on Toronto's Santa Claus parade) made the day even bigger.  Back in the 60s Captain Kangaroo hosted the overall coverage from New York (William "Cannon" Conrad would perform the same function through much of the 70s), with CBS newsmen and celebrities alternating as hosts in the various cities.  Besides, seeing the Detroit parade would be an early tipoff to the weather for that morning's football game.

The next picture, also from 1962, is for the Pat Boone Thansgiving special.  Pretty good cast, although Peter, Paul & Mary seem a bit out of place.  Or perhaps Pat wasn't as much of a square as people thought. Notice the start time: 4:30 pm (Central time).  Doesn't seem likely any more that a network show would come on at that hour, not with the news saturation that local stations have today.

Here's another late afternoon special from 1961, with Al Hirt and a cast of thousands, or at least the popular singer Gordon MacRae, the opera star Patrice Munsel, and dancer Carol Haney.  "Home for the Holidays" - then, as now, Thanksgiving was the start of the Christmas season.  Notice that these ads prominently boast that the specials are "In Color!"

The holidays are always a time to bring back stars who haven't had regular series for several years.  Bonne was one, and the Old Redhead, Arthur Godfrey was another.  His 1963 Thanksgiving night special promises "a post-turkey pot of tea."  I imagine things were a bit muted that year, since JFK had been buried just three days previous.

Perry Como no longer had a weekly series in 1962, but his Kraft Music Hall appeared several times a year.  Since the show was always on Wednesday nights, his November special was always on Thanksgiving Eve.  (And that's exactly how it was described - putting Thanksgiving Eve on a par with Christmas Eve.)

Of course, you can't have Thanksgiving without football.  Look at how CBS advertises its game between the Colts and Lions in 1965:

I actually remember watching that game (I won't say how old I am now, but I was five back then).  The Colts and Lions battled to a 24-24 tie that pleased nobody.  Nowadays, I imagine the Lions would be pretty happy with that result.  And remember those Seagram's ads that used to appear with every major sporting event?  There were three games played that day; in addition to the Colts and Lions, the AFL game on NBC featured the Buffalo Bills and the San Diego Chargers, and ABC's college action was the traditional battle between Oklahoma and Nebraska.

It wasn't just television shows that advertised for Thansgiving - take a look at this ad for General Electric. I wonder how many families took advantage of the free heat 'n' serve baby dish for every baby born on November 28, 1963.  (Just think - that baby would be almost 50 today.)

Thanksgiving wasn't only a day, though - traditionally, it was one of the biggest television weeks of the season.  Check out the sidebar on the 1965 cover - from football to the Hallmark Hall of Fame, tributes to recently deceased Stan Laurel and Cole Porter, specials starring Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., a White House tour with Mrs. LBJ, and a James Bond documentary.  And this was before VCRs.
 

 
And this is just scratching the surface - for example, in 1962 the Bell Telephone Hour had special guest Carl Sandburg, the American poet and Lincoln biographer.  It seems to me that there truly was a sense that Thanksgiving was a time for the family to get together, and with a little of something for everyone there was no better way for quality family time than to sit in front of the television. ◙

Opera Wednesday

On this Thanksgiving eve, what better to be thankful for than the magnificent career of the great Leontyne Price? From her farewell operatic performance, here is the ovation for "O patria mia", her final aria in the signature role of Aida. This is from the live Met Opera broadcast of January 3, 1985; the conductor is James Levine. ◙

Wish I'd Written That

Maybe it crept up on me but Christmas stuff is everywhere can't we at least wait until Thanksgiving is over"

- Kevin "Happy" Harvick. ◙

Retro TV Friday

Well, just because we're in Chicago doesn't mean we can't celebrate Retro TV Friday, right?

This week, if you're looking for gritty cop drama - the opening and closing credits to the 1961 series 87th Precinct, starring Robert Lansing, are for you. Don't know if the series itself was any good, but that music (written by Morton Stevens) means business, doesn't it?





The description from TV.com:

Police drama based on a series of detective novels by Ed McBain that featured Detective Steve Carella (played by Robert Lansing) who worked at the 87th Precinct in the fictional city of Isola, along with a line-up of typical police detectives, such as the rookie and the seasoned old-timer. His… More deaf-mute wife Teddy (played by Gena Rowlands) added a personal side to the stories. Ron Harper, Gregory Walcott, and future Three's Company star Norman Fell played other detectives who worked out of the 87th.


That it's based on McBain's 87th Precinct series is a good sign.  That it stars Lansing is another one.  Unfortunately, this series isn't available on commercial DVD - the only way you can get it is through an "unauthorized" (read: bootleg) distributor.  Now, I would never encourage anyone to buy a product in this manner, even if we're talking about something that isn't available commercially and thus wouldn't be infringing on royalties in the same way that one would if one were purchasing something that was, in fact, available commercially (albeit for a higher price). 
Nonetheless, YouTube is a wonderful thing, full of clips (and the occasional full episode) of old TV shows that otherwise wouldn't see the light of day.  It's a wonderful way to spend an hour or three or seven. ◙

Opera, opera everywhere!

Opera Weekend seemingly is on the blog this week, and I'm also attending an opera. I'll be in Greenville this weekend for another opera card, the Greenville Light Opera Works' adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury, which they claim to update in a Palmetto State courtroom (my dance partners I've had in dance classes are attorneys!). There is a conflict of interest for me, as an alto in the operetta is in my inner circle (Brittnee was part of the 2007 Messiah singalong that I enjoyed. I'll be armed with my notepad and be prepared too for this fun operetta. The Upstate company's Der Schauspieldirektor was set in 2010 Wien (I attended a performance, and the Mississippi Squirrel was there). This time, it's The Brittnee who is in the event. The Interstate Batteries / Mobil 1 truck is ready, the Bosch spark plugs are firing on all cylinders, and the Goodyear tyres are in shape. (And yes, the next performance of GLOW will feature the Squirrel again! Look what she did to a 26-year old and the result!)

The performance of Trial by Jury, they noted, will feature an ensemble of Gilbert and Sullivan songs. With the intentional Dick Wolf look of the programme cover, I wonder how it's set. ◙

Opera Thursday

We'll be in Chicago this weekend to cover the Lyric Opera's productions of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera. The reviews should be up after Thanksgiving, but in the meantime here's a preview of the great countertenor David Daniels in A Midsummer Night's Dream. ◙

Just Because We Can

From Cat Head Theatre, here's what Hamlet looks like when performed by cats: ◙

Weekend Digest

Here are some of the news highlights of the past weekend, starting with the Etihad Airways Grand Prix. What craziness there!

James Allen: Sebastian Vettel is World Champion after dominant win in Abu Dhabi.

And: How did Ferrari make that strategy mistake with Alonso?

BBC: Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel kept Formula One Title Belief.

On the News Front:

Carl Horowitz: American Aborigine Farmers Shake the Public Money Tree.

Wesley Pruden: Obama's grim pursuit of Muslim Romance..

Michelle Malkin: Carol Browner Must Resign.

Harriet Baber: Crystal Cathedral had its day: When religion is reduced to a collection of gimmicks, there is little to stop it falling victim to changing fashions (on Life Enhancement Centres):.
Ann Coulter: Repeal the 26th Amendment (Adults based on ObamaCare laws?):
Laura Ingraham: "Good Neighbour" China? Not so, says China's neighbours.

(And don't forget that Ford is letting Chinese automaker Geely develop their cars, and Obama cronies stole GM and gave a chunk of it to Shanghai Automotive as part of his "Blue Oval Kickback"; four Ford models in 2011 are built around one Geely sedan, while four others are built around two Mazda sedans, and Ford has just one in-house coupe and in-house truck.) ◙

Henryk Górecki, R.I.P.

I did not know of Henryk Górecki's work until I read Charles Colson and Nancy Pearsey's How Now Shall We Live? (Remember, this was the pre-Hill era in music for me.) In memory of the Polish composer, I found the original BreakPoint radio commentary by Mr. Colson on Mr. Górecki's Symphony No. 3. It made an appreciation of classical works even more appreciative considering the Iron Curtain did not like his association with another famous Pole, Karol Wojytla, of whom commissioned works that Mr. Górecki composed, and the Polish government stripped him of his positions in art because of his ties with the religious leader in an atheistic Comunist nation.

Here is an Appreciation from "The Bleep."  ◙

Opera Wednesday

This shouldn't be in the Opera category at first, but when you learn it is the Opera Company of Philadelphia involved, you'll see why it goes there.

Earlier in the year, my voice teacher referenced opera singers as shopkeepers singing from Verdi's Il Travatore.

Now this story has a sequel. There's a wonderful sacred masterpiece I've sung in singalongs, at and in a pair of guest choral gigs. Sometimes I wish there were more that would sing this instead of the dippy junk that is being sold by the major secular publishers. But last month, in the City of Brotherly Love, in a Macy's, 650 choirsters and the Opera Company of Philadelphia sang a masterpiece as part of the opera company's "Random Act of Culture" in a Macy's. Now this is music designed for Easter, but still #44 from HWV 56 is that what deservedly so. Let's enjoy the Opera Company of Philadelphia's big special production at the Macy's. As much fun as Verdi in the farmer's market. ◙

The new Governess of South Carolina

I went to school with our new Governess during a time from 1987-89, when she was a junior and I was a seventh grader. It was the time the family thought I needed to leave a parochial school where I was consistently hitting top grades and had an established rivalry on the spelling bee, math drill, and reading drills each day it seemed with two girls. It was becoming the Bobby vs Stephanie vs Amy show. Someone was going to battle for the win. One of the three would win each drill. That rivalry died with the family decided to transfer me out.

Somehow the family thought there would be better waters, and I was an unhappy kid. The results were true to what I had feared. The worldview taught in that school's classes were different (environmentalism in our math and science books – activism that shouldn't be there, and praising the Left in every civics class, teaching the virtues of government). On the social side, some kids decided to exploit me, punching, pushing, shoving me every time they could, throwing my glasses into urine, defacing books, attacking me at every bend, even fondling breasts and racial chants at every attack (which I couldn't strike back under fear of suspension; I promptly labeled the worst offender the “Ayatollah Khomeini”; the teacher, whose son later played in MLB, knew the name but the kids didn't even know who the real Ruhollah Khomeini, at the time a public enemy on the levels where Usama bin Laden is today). I feared for my life (there were kids who drew me being attacked by them and dying in their assaults) and couldn't study with that attitude the kids had since if I made on move I would face being pushed to the wall, breasts fondled, punched, or any form of attack. Grades dropped as I could not study under threat of their arrogance. Eventually the last straw was a bleach attack aimed at me.

Government school was called in, but it never helped either. To this day I wished I had finished in the same parochial school where academics were rigorous, and fundamentals were taught, not the fringe leftist feelings. But in schools that use government school curriculum (some college prep “private” schools do so too), they never teach that because of the self-esteem ideals of the Far Left. An ego-driven narcissm was taught and few understood it.

I just cannot believe how I was treated in school when the future Governess of South Carolina was in school with me. Sad, sad state of affairs. Now it's worse in our schools. We have liberal activists who are newly empowered laws they passed in the Pelosi-Reid-Obama era to punish anyone not in their clique. But that's for a later discussion. (Photograph of the Governess of South Carolina courtesy the victory party, is from my personal collection.) ◙

Opinion Digest

Your headlines on Monday: politics with an order of Formula 1 on the side.

Bill O'Reilly: Coasting to the Left (how the Left controls the coasts).

Allysia Finley: California: The Lindsay Lohan of States.

Michelle Malkin: Big Nanny Bloomberg's Latest Initiative: Government-Sponsored Fashion Jobs.

Adam Cooper: Nico Hulkenberg pole run left the paddock smiling.

James Allen: Vettel wins Grande Prêmio Petrobras do Brasil; Red Bull are Constructors' Champions.  ◙

Wish I'd Written That

We welcome her decision to run for House Minority Leader based on her proven ability to create jobs for Republican lawmakers.”

Spokesman Ken Spain of the National Republican Congressional Committee, on Nancy Pelosi's announcement that she'll seek to continue as House Democratic Leader.
(H/T Ramesh at NRO) ◙

Retro TV Friday

This is kind of cool - it's from back in the day when the Hallmark Hall of Fame actually showed something other than weepy chick-flicks. It's the complete telecast of Henrik Ibsen's disturbing 1879 play A Doll's House. This broadcast, from November 15, 1959, stars Christopher Plummer and Julie Harris.  It's a good example of televison of the late 50s - not great, perhaps, but a very good quality drama, and certainly indicative of the quality production that used to be, well, the hallmark of Hallmark.

The broadcast was 90 minutes, including commercials; this collection of 12 videos, sans ads, runs about 75 minutes.  Check it out when you've got a chance - it's likely far more worthwhile than the dreck on TV tonight. ◙

30 Years Ago

In this special Thursday edition of Retro TV Friday, we look at 30 years ago today, when Ronald Reagan was first elected president. This was a pretty controversial call by NBC at the time - not because they were calling it for Reagan, who would after all win by a landslide, but because they called it so early - 7:15 Central Time, 45 minutes before the polls would close in Minnesota (which went for Carter, natch), and nearly two hours before they would close on the West Coast. That, and Carter's concession not long after, were for many years a source of great annoyance to Democrats who claimed (probably with some justification) that the early call discouraged some Democrats from voting in local elections, costing them victory in close races. Well, tough nuggets, I say.

Note also that NBC, the first network to use the giant election map, is using blue for Republicans, red for Democrats. (Which, when you think about it, makes a lot more sense. Red always was for leftists, after all.)

John Chancellor does seem to have a hard time believing all this is happening, doesn't he?



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Opinion Digest

An election day look at the headlines:

Thomas Sowell: The multicultural dogma that we must accept every culture is inane.

Sowell again: How the cult of multiculturalism has failed miserably.
Dennis Prager: Why voting for the individual, not the party, is an idealistic daydream.

By the way, if you look at the Nixon commericial I excerpted on Friday, you'll notice one of the more memorable taglines (if somewhat grammatically incorrect) of recent political commercials.

It was, of course, an allusion to Nixon's 1960 loss to John Kennedy (this time, don't vote for the handsome face, the glib words, etc.), but it also emphasized the sense that the stakes were high - very high - in this election.

One could say the same thing this year.  There are those, and I have been one of them in the past, who would say that there is little difference between the parties: that they're flip sides of the same coin, that they'll stab you in the back once they get into office, that nothing really changes.  There's a lot of truth to that, which is why it's so important to be part of the process - to hold their feet to the fire, so to speak, to make sure that our leaders do what they say they'll do or we'll throw the bums out.

But the stakes are indeed very high this year.  It's one of the biggest off-year elections I can remember, certainly the biggest one in many years.  I think by the end of the evening the Democrats will find out that they badly misread the public mind from two years ago.  That election was not about giving the liberals a mandate; rather, it was about a charming snake-oil salesman who was able to fool most of the people for a little bit of time.  But that time is up, or at least halfway up, and tomorrow morning the battle for 2012 will begin in earnest.  It will now be up to the Republicans to make sure they do not commit the same mistakes as the Democrats.  Remember, this election is not about you, it's about a public fed up with the big government leftism of the other side.  If you don't deliver on your promises, the same fate awaits you.

But the best way to enjoy the fun tonight is to have a rooting interest in the outcome.  So get out there today and vote as if (grammatically correct) your whole world depended on it.
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Retro TV Friday

I think that by now, just about everyone is ready for policial campaign season to end. Republicans want it to end before their momentum runs out; Democrats can't wait to wake up from the nightmare they're living through. Most of all, though, people are sick and tired of the airwaves being poluted by commercials - particularly the endless negativity of the attack ads. You seldom hear a candidate talk about him or herself nowadays, to tell you what they plan to do for you. No, it's attack, attack, attack.

It is said, and I believe it, that one reason commercials are so negative is because negative works. In an era when many people vote not for a candidate but against one, it's only natural: voters don't trust politicans anyway, so spend your time convincing them that the other guy is even worse than you are.

Particularly if you're young, you might be surprised to learn that this was not always the case. In fact, candidates used to spend most of their time (and these commercials did take up time; no 30-second soundbite back in the day) talking about - surprise - themselves! And if they weren't in the commercial personally, the voiceover was all about them.

We can see this by taking a brief spin through television campaign history.

DFL disgrace

Guest column by Cathy of Alex

When Ray from MN sent me an email with the appalling and disgraceful info he discovered about a DFL (Democrat-Farmer-Labor) postcard mailing I thought it was a bad joke. You can read more about it on Stella Borealis.

In Minnesota, the state Democrat party is called the DFL. Also, for the record, though Stella Borealis is a group blog, Ray from MN is the primary contributor and he is a he, not a she as has been erroneously reported in some publications. [Editor's Note: Mitchell is also a Stella Boralis contributor.] I know Ray has a big following among transgenders but come on! LOL

That the DFL would launch a campaign like this not only shows the most appalling anti-Catholicism; it also illustrates stupidity and a complete lack of understanding of their political base.

Many dissident Catholics, also known as "progressive" Catholics in the Twin Cities are DFL voters. They, frequently, ignore the Church teachings not to vote for abortion candidates because they are all about supporting the types of progressive causes the DFL typically espouses. The DFL is usually perceived by progressive and dissident Catholics as the social justice party.

Dissident and progressive Catholics, of whose number I used to be among, if they love only one thing about actual Catholic teaching is the social justice the Church advocates. Yes, their notion of what that social justice is and is not is often mistaken, but they embrace their concept of Catholic social justice in its entiriety.

I ask the Catholic DFL supporter today, do you not see that the DFL has no understanding of your faith, much less respect for it? If the DFL had a clue they would realize that they have gone too far.

Let's talk even more plainly. This DFL postcard campaign is a lame attempt at solidarity with the Catholics who were upset over Archbishop Nienstedt's marriage DVD-most of whom probably vote DFL. The DFL thinks it understands you and this is their response. "We know you hate the Church and so do we"

The DFL has finally "come out of the closet" ◙

Cross-posted to The Recovering Dissident Catholic

The mockingbird that don't sing

I must admit that I've never been a fan of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird - not in high school, when I had to read its earnest social message, and not the movie version, featuring Gregory Peck's wooden performace. (And how that perforance won an Oscar, up against Albert Finney's in Tom Jones, I'll never know.) Gratifyingly, it turns out I'm not the only one. ◙

Weekend Digest

Highlights of a weekend of columns, plus what happened at Yenogam in South Jeolla while we were sleeping.

Robert Bryce: More Ethanol Means Dirtier Air.

Bill Connor: The Future of Our Community and Nation.

Wayne Grudem: Pastors, not the government, should decide when they can speak about candidates from the pulpit (a 1954 LBJ rule is the main reason).

Arnold Ahlert: Shock, but more importantly action: De-unionise Public Schools Now.

Michelle Dunlop: The Southeast is rising as a rival for dominance in aerospace.

James Allen: Alonso wins Treacherous Korean Grand Prix as (Red) Bulls Falter.

Guardian: Nearly 300 complaints from the BBC moving Korean Grand Prix coverage from BBC1 to BBC2 after rain delay.

Chosun Ilbo (English): Korea's First Grand Prix Roars Despite Rain (teams complaining about being sent to brothels). ◙

On the links, Timberlake a modern-day Crosby, Williams, Hope, or Thomas

This weekend marks golf with a turn of the past.

Prior to the 1980's it seemed celebrity golf tournaments were everywhere. There was the Andy Williams (Farmers Insurance - San Diego), Glen Campbell (Northern Trust - Los Angeles), Bing Crosby (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am), Sammy Davis Jnr (Travelers - Hartford), Jackie Gleason (Honda - Palm Beach), Bob Hope (Bob Hope Desert Classic - Palm Springs), Dean Martin (tournament in Tuscon discontinued in 2006, now site of WGA Accenture Match Play), Ed McMahon (John Deere - Quad Cities), and Danny Thomas (St. Jude - Memphis) tournaments in golf.

The Hope is the only tournament with a celebrity name still attached, for aesthetic reasons.

In Las Vegas, of all places, no less, golf is back to its old tricks. Former “N’Sync” member and controversial pop “singer” Justin Timberlake has the third renewal of his version of the old celebrity name golf tournament when this week’s PGA Tour Fall Series event (the penultimate of the 2010 PGA Tour season), tees off Thursday in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open. The tournament, shortened to four rounds in 2003 and adopting its current name in 2008, was known as the maiden-breaker for a certain golf legend when it was a plain five-round Las Vegas Classic fourteen years ago. The Timberlake is to contemporary golf fans what those names of the past were in golf from three decades ago, as celebrity-named tournaments seem to have gone by the wayside. But it's good to see today's generation appreciate the past with this type of event.

But in an era of golf tournaments with fancy corporate names, this week’s golf stop is reminiscent of an era long gone in that we have a celebrity-named tournament and the celebrity and his friends are in the pro-am tournaments. ◙

Our worst president, worst ex-president

From last week, one of my favorite writers, Joe Queenan, writes in the Wall Street Journal on one of my least favoriate politicians (HT Weekly Standard):

With the recent release of the exquisitely pointless "White House Diary," his 25th entry in the literary sweepstakes, Mr. Carter has now written more books than James Joyce, Jane Austen, Gustave Flaubert, George Eliot, Virgil, Homer and Jonathan Franzen. He has also written more books than Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower, Woodrow Wilson, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and a whole lot of other presidents who got more points on the scoreboard than he ever did. Most ex-presidents have the good grace to stop at a single publication after they leave office, though more than a few have obligingly opted for the public's favorite number in this lethal genre: zero.
Not Jimmy.

The Oval Office equivalent of the Edsel, Mr. Carter has spent three decades in the wilderness retrofitting his image as the best, the brightest, and the noblest ex-president of them all. This is like trying to get credit for touchdowns 30 years after the clock has run out, with the score reading Eureka College 50, Navy 0.

Devastating on all counts, and it gets better from there.  I've heard many people talk about Carter as someone who might not have been a good president, but has led a productive life after politics.  But, as Steven Hayward points out in this book, Carter out of office has done almost as much damage to this country.  Small-minded, petty, vindictive, jealous of the success of others, and an inhabitant of the far left, with an anti-American streak that demeans his status as a former president.  (And how did he ever get there, anyway?  I have a feeling that in a couple of years, Americans will be asking themselves the same question, and providing the same kind of answer.)  So when you consider Carter's legacy, please don't let yourself get sucked in by the touchy-feeliness of his charitable activities.  Look at his words, his actions, what he stands for, this failure of a politican, and then assess his legacy.

For those of you who were wondering: yes, Eureka is the alma mater of Ronald Reagan.  ◙

What liberals want next: humanist indoctrination before acceptance to college and poking on every medication you buy

In the University of California system, students who attend parochial schools cannot be accepted to the system because their science, literature, and history courses do not subscribe to the humanist worldview that is required, as the state has mandated, and a court has approved. Meanwhile, students are being forced into remedial classes. This is a byproduct of the failure of the educational system that mandates a humanist worldview to be taught in the schools.

So Catholic and Protestant parochial schools are now illegal in California, as they are denied admission to colleges because their textbooks do not comply with the humanist worldview. Meanwhile, we accept this and this.

The reversing of the Bush era trends towards Health Savings Accounts (on individuals) and new policies on Flexible Spending Accounts (on corporations) show how this wicked government of the CCCP want to destroy health care in order to make Big Brother bigger and to make them your deity. ◙

Dame Joan Sutherland, R.I.P.

For today's Opera Wednesday, I thought it would be appropriate to remember the life of Dame Joan Sutherland, who died this week at 83.

In this clip, she was Lucrezia, and Stafford Dean was Alfonso in this duet of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia from 1980, at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.





Here are a pair of articles from Dame Joan's native Australia, remembering the great career of "La Stupenda," aka "The Voice of the Century."

Opera Chic has a roundup of Sutherland coverage, including this excellent article on why Sutherland was so unique, which contains this perceptive comment that offers hope to all of us who tend to look back with a sense of melancholy on the long-lost "good old days":

Sutherland makes nostalgia look silly -- there's no repertory that's too hard to bring back to life, if you have the talent. She makes us hope that someone else -- with the right voice and, maybe, the right mentor -- will come after her, to surprise us, to show us once again how it's done, here and now.

And that's as good a note as any to end on.

No, wait - here's a better one:





(Mitchell contributed additional comments to this article.) ◙

Remembrance of Series past

Apropos of Steve's post from Thursday on the death of afternoon baseball, here as proof is the TV Guide listing from that 1965 World Series, from Thursday, October 14. 

There was a seventh game, of course, and it was played at 12:30 that afternoon.  (There was a heavy rain overnight, but thanks to helicopters brought in to dry the field, the game was able to go on.  Perhaps the Twins wished otherwise.)

The first World Series game to be played at night was in 1971.  The last World Series game to be played in the daytime was in 1987.  Much has happened since then, of course, but this tells you a lot about what happened, and what was lost, during those 16 years. ◙

10/10/10

Yes, that's today, and you might be thining to yourselves, "Well, that's cool and all, but what's the big deal? After all, last year we had 09/09/09, and next year we'll have 11/11/111."

Well, that's true, but is there something more special to 10/10/10? As one of Jonah's correspondents points out, "The binary number 101010 translates to the decimal number 42, which as you know is the answer to the question of Life, The Universe, & Everything."

And now you know the rest of the story. ◙

A zonk channel runs a puff piece for the Dear Leader

For the past decade, any MTV Networks property has been off-limits to me (the last MTV show I watched was a 2001 special that was tied into the former Nashville Network that became Spike and their programming was in transition from CBS to MTV, but they aired programming as a tribute to a key figure on the channel during the Ed Gaylord and later CBS era), and MTV proper has been off-limits for nearly 20 years (ask anyone in Nashville and Charlotte with MTV did). In last year's Enemies List, we publicly said MTV has betrayed the cause of music where today's generation would rather have the latest secular pop, rock, and hip-hop tune in church than sing the time-honoured sacred song of generations ago (and the results of such Life Enhancement Centres include this singing of secular songs that are man-centred, not of God, of all things) that we enjoy (and have sung).

Now it has come to our attention MTV is organising a town hall meeting next week that will be a puff piece for “Dear Leader” in Washington that will air on three of their “top” channels – MTV, CMT, and BET. They want information and based on their lovefest for the President but not other leaders in the past, it will likely lean heavily left. Even Vanity Fair has a list of what to do and not to do in this broadcast. After all, didn't MTV's homosexual network offer a glorified press conference where Dear Leaders spoke, where he favoured them, but not Fox News? We know what they want. They betrayed music, now they're betraying America. Next betrayal by MTV?

MTV is truly, with apologies to Monty Hall, and now Wayne Brady, a Zonk. ◙

Yes, yes to no-no

There was, not surprisingly, only one topic of conversation around the sports water cooler this morning, that being Roy Halladay's no-hitter in Philadelphia’s opening game against Cincinnati yesterday. As just about everyone knows by now, Halladay’s was only the second no-hitter ever thrown in postseason play, joining Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.

Oddly enough, this was the very thing I had been planning to write about tomorrow. Not Halladay's no-hitter, of course, since he hadn’t thrown it yet, but Larsen’s. October 8 is the 54th anniversary of Larsen’s perfecto, and for the hard-core baseball fan that date triggers a Pavlovian response in much the same way that July 4 or November 22 or December 7 do to the historian.*

* I don’t mean in any way to equate Larsen’s no-hitter with these other dates, some famous and some infamous. It’s just that if you say “October 8” to the aficionado, many of them would immediately respond “Larsen.” It just does.

I’ve long thought that Larsen’s performance was perhaps the most remarkable in the history of sports, or at least baseball. This piece by Cliff Corcoran lays it out very well – we’ve had postseason baseball since 1903, when the first World Series was played. From then to 1956, a span of 53 Series (there was none in 1904), you had a maximum of 371 games that could have been played. In all that time, there was only one no-hitter.

Since then, we’ve added a Championship Series in each league (starting in 1969), expanded it from five to seven games (in 1985), and added a Wild Card round (in 1995), meaning that in the 53+ years since Larsen, you’ve had a maximum of 1,245 games that could have been played, or almost four times the potential number since Larsen.* And in all that time, with all the opportunities we’ve given them, no pitcher was able to match Larsen until last night. If that doesn’t meet the definition of remarkable, I don’t know what does.

* I know, many if not most of these series went less that the maximum, but you get the point.  And anyway, I didn't have the time to count all the games.

And why should this be? 

Harmon, we miss you

It is Tuesday afternoon, October 7th. I am sitting here in an office at 9th and LaSalle in Downtown Minneapolis, on an absolutely gorgeous autumn day. From my window I see blue skies, puffy white clouds, and I hear that the temp is in the mid-70s. Fall weather in Minnesota just does not get better than this. What a day for a walk around Lake Harriet, coffee with a friend at an outside cafe on the Nicollet Mall, and finally, once again we can say this...a baseball game.

Or can we? The Minnesota Twins are in the playoffs. (Hats off to them for a fine season). The Yankees are in town. A beautiful, many say spectacular, new stadium, an open-air baseball field, (taxpayer funded, by the way) is sitting there ready for action. So, let's play ball. Except...it is the Yankees. It is the Era of Bud. It is National TV time. So the game today (as was last night's) will be played at...night.

The 1965 World Series in glorious sunlight

Ugh. What a waste of a day so rare. How sad that the joys of baseball, a spring sport, more a summer sport, a fall sport, yes, but NOT a cold-weather sport, will not be on display on a day like this in Minneapolis. I hope it doesn't get too chilly. I hope we don't have the sights of players with knit-caps, heavy jackets and mittens like we've seen in those interminable Red Sox-Yankee playoffs.

Then again, I kind of hope that the Twins can win some games and the playoffs get extended, and we play into later October, and on a much colder night we get a blast of snow. I would like to see how Bud would handle that. Maybe he would lead a parade of players and fans and hot dog vendors back to the Dome. Might as well.

We have lost a treasure, fall baseball on a day of sunshine and blue skies, and I'm not sure we even know it.

Yes, Harmon, we miss you. ◙

Opera Wednesday

Last Wednesday I mentioned the Met opening of Robert Lepage's new Rheingold. Apropos of that comes this thoughtful, provocative piece by Alex Ross on why Wagner is still relevant. (Wonder of wonders, not everything in the Times is bilge.)

Ross' point is that Wagner wrote not for an elitist, arts-and-croissants crowd, but for the masses - the audience to which, in fact, opera belongs:

Perhaps we’ve seen too many commercials with toffs in penguin suits to accept
the fact that operagoers are, in fact, a motley middle-class lot. And the Wagner
audience is the motliest of all — emeritus professors sit side by side with
“Ring”-loving schoolteachers, fanatic record collectors, neophyte opera mavens
and that woman wearing a Valkyrie helmet.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Mark Twain, who famously commented that Wagner "isn't as bad as he sounds." It's often used as a humorous riposte on the part of opera critics - or, more specifically, critics of Wagner, who cite the bombastic scale and epic length of his works. (I was going to include mind-numbing in that description, although with Wagner it's more likely to be butt-numbing.) Twain, though, loved to couch the truth in humor, and here Ross recounts Twain's words following his 1891 visit to Bayreuth:

He sent home an essay that reads at first like a methodical takedown: he notes
all the weirdness of the Wagner cult, the confounding aspects of the experience.
“Sometimes I feel like the sane person in a community of the mad,” he writes.
Then, just when he seems ready to give the knife a final twist, he reveals
himself as another convert. “But by no means do I ever overlook or minify the
fact that this is one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. I have
never seen anything like this before. I have never seen anything so great and
fine and real as this devotion.”

This new production of Rheingold, the first part of the Ring cycle, may be good or bad. (You know our apprehension about new productions of the classics.) One thing it will not be, however, is indifferent, and for sheer spectacle it may well be extraordinary.

The only sure way to know is to answer the question yourself. Go see the live broadcast on Saturday afternoon at one of the many movie theaters carrying the Met's season. Don't let me, or anyone else, tell you what to think of Wagner - let yourself go, and let the truth come to you. ◙

Wish I'd written that

Politicians never accuse you of 'greed' for wanting other people's money -- only for wanting to keep your own money."

Joe Sobran. He was a man of great insight and great faults; in other words, a contradictory man, as so many of us are.  Here's a very fair and concise write-up of his legacy.  (H/T NRO.) ◙

Opinion Digest

Paul Driessen: Greens Shackle National Security and Renewable Energy.

End of the American Dream: The Green Agenda Is About Getting Rid of As Many Humans as Possible.

Doug Giles: ObamaCare, Alinsky, and useful "Christian" Idiots.

Roger Hedgecock: Single Payer Coming Under ObamaCare.

All Your Nation Belong To Us. Ole, ole, ole, ole! Death to the USA!  ◙

Thoughts of the week

In response to Mitchell's commentary, I had a comment that was too long for commentary. But I'll start with some thoughts of Mitchell's post.

When I've been on stage, I've had to apply makeup, although it's not that well-thought. Bright lights will interfere with your face in more ways than others, so the rule is always makeup to "deaden" the glare. Hair? Too simple but the Pat Riley look has taken control in too many places. As for "purses" for men, I have had a chiropractor since the day at 20 when I destroyed my car in a crash. Chiropractors would rather have people sitting stable than one side higher than the other, which can happen with a purse. In an age where health is a bigger issue than ever, chiropractors recommend it for spinal protection reasons. Also, because men are now familiar with carrying items such as computers, tools, and workout clothing in bags, it has only desensitised the idea of men carrying a bag in public. A combination of chiropractors and the familiarity with carrying a laptop, workout clothes, or tool bag has made it possible for men to carry identification, money, and other important information in purse-style bags.

Our society is increasing feminised. The School Formerly Known As The Citadel is talking eliminating sports in order to comply with federal feminisation standards and punishing students for things that thanks to the courts are illegal as they mandated women to the school (which paves the thought: we have a girls' secondary school and two women's colleges in our state, but men don't have their own). Some schools have no sports for men in the fall but women have choices. UCLA built a new natatorium for women only. USA Gymnastics has grown increasing concerned about more men's gymnastics programmes being dropped.

Our increasing feminised society is taking place in church. Solid hymns and sacred song (which is what I prefer) have been replaced by feminised rock tunes and kids dancing to hip-hop. Female pop divas replace serious sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses. Modern church music is on the XX and not the XY side, with the tone of the songs increasing romantic ("I Could Sing of Your Love Forever," "Here With Me," "The Potter's Hand," and other numerous "worship" songs have this tone) and away from the strong God of the past. But since generations have been taught rock music in church, the effeminate is accepted. The strong-willed music that a classically trained singer would accept is gone, replaced by the pop tunes of the lowest common denominator.

And a few more things that came to me.

ESPN The Liar. All week ESPN was running advertising regarding ESPN Saturday Night Football on the ESPN Broadcast Network featuring the Stanford-Oregon match. Imagine when I checked the television, the ESPN Broadcast Network (#1105) had an ACC game, the ESPN Cable network (#1500) had a Big Ten game, and ESPN2 (#1501) had a Pac-10 game but it was not the Stanford-Oregon game. So the game being promoted all week was not even available here in this market. Maybe it could have been available on Game Plan or online, but the lying was proven. Meanwhile, the SEC was purring in the excitement of its CBS deal, as Florida-Alabama was available in 100% of the United States on CBS as the conference's status as the only conference with a guaranteed national game of the week continued.

NOTE: The channel numbers represent the author's home cable market, Time Warner Cable of the Midlands of South Carolina.

Verizon Choke. Just how many times can Penske Championship Racing choke at Homestead. They are thankful the Miami circuit is not on next year's Izod IndyCar Series because in two season-ending showdowns at the circuit, they have lost point leads to rival Ganassi.

ObamaCare Is Doing Its Job. Companies such as The Principal are leaving the health insurance business, and this is exactly what the proponents of ObamaCare have wanted. They are wanting to create the single payer, government as all, with rationing, and forcing everyone else out is the first piece of work. And for that, I am irritated because my legislators weren't allowed to participate in discussion or block it. It was run over like a monster truck by the West Coast Offense.
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