"The Dark Knight"

(Be warned: spoilers will be revealed)

The following Bible verse, from Jeremiah 17, kept coming to mind as I watched The Dark Knight, last weekend's record-breaking #1 movie ---

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Who can, indeed. Batman Begins examined the nature of the heart, especially in regards to justice and redemption. You will remember that Henri Ducard (revealed to actually be Ra's al Ghul) and his League of Shadows came to Gotham seeking to destroy it because, as Ra's Al Ghul's decoy told Bruce Wayne, "Gotham's time has come... it is beyond saving and must be allowed to die." Gotham has housed too many criminals over the years, a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrha. Ducard saw himself as God without the hassle of having to haggle with Abraham over how many good souls were left in the city. Everyone, good and bad, would pay.

The Joker of Dark Knight, exceptionally well played by the late Heath Ledger, sees justice as only a thin veneer layered over chaos. The Joker says that he is himself "an agent of chaos." People only need a little push to exit the light and enter darkness, and he's the perfect man to do the pushing. I think history will show Ledger's Joker to be one of the most memorable villains of the cinema. I would put him on par with Dr. Hannibal Lecter of The Silence of the Lambs, except that the Joker is even more villainous. Lecter may have been prone to cannibalism, but at least he had some standards by eating only rude, offensive people. The Joker wants the whole world to burn.

The Joker succeeds in pushing Harvey Dent, a "white knight" of a district attorney, into the darkness. Dent begins the movie as a man on mission to bring down Gotham's mob members. He's not a perfect knight, though. When he catches one of Joker's fiends in an assassination attempt, Dent comes awfully close to pulling the trigger. Batman arrives and chides Dent for behaving in such a manner. Dent seems to recover from this episode but then goes on to lose something of extreme value to him - something more than merely half his face - and he decides "the only justice in an unfair world is chance."

Speaking of Two-Face, whom we see in all his glory in the film's final act, I was struck by how different his story is from that of the character in 1995's Batman Forever. In that film, Tommy Lee Jones plays a good man who becomes an insane criminal after acid is thrown on his face. Actually, we only see his transformation in an extremely brief flashback - at the start of Forever, Dent is already a Two-Face who desires to kill Batman. The Two-Face of Dark Knight, following a horrific experience, essentially chooses to become a vigilante. Both characters share the same idea that the random toss is the only true form of justice, but they are different in a fundamental and important way.

I think it's fantastic that Gary Oldman is playing more noble characters these days. It's almost as if he has had enough of playing evil people like vampires (Bram Stoker's Dracula) and terrorists (Air Force One). He plays the bad guy effectively - I especially like him in this film - but I think his "good" characters like James Gordon and Sirius Black of the Harry Potter films are even more compelling.

I don't think a movie based on comic book (or graphic novel, if you prefer) characters has addressed so many important issues as The Dark Knight. This is nervy and penetrating stuff that keeps you thinking after you've left the darkness of the theater. White knights versus dark knights. Order versus chaos. Redemption versus destruction. Justice versus revenge. Truth versus lies.

The kind of issues that cut us straight to the heart. If only we could know it better.

For more on the film and the issues it raises, visit some of these links:

• Ken Brown
• Todd Hertz
• Jeff Overstreet
• Ben Witherington

If you had an Atari, you'll love this

venti white chocolate mocha, please

Alas, there will be 600 fewer Starbucks in the universe. Do you live near one that will soon close? I have two that are about a mile from my house, and the one built just a few months ago was spared the axe. Naturally, the one spared is the one closer to the interstate and to other stores. The one axed is across the street from a grocery store, a drugstore, a Dairy Queen and a hospital.

Amba & abortion on Althouse

One of my favorite bloggers, Ann Althouse, is bringing to the forefront something from her meta. Amba, one of her frequent commentors, apparantly had an abortion sometime in the past and came to regret it. The most interesting thing she said about it is this:

The nonreligious conclusion I came to as the result of lasting (lifelong) regret of an abortion is that if an embryo or fetus is regarded as disposable, then you are, too. I guess it's a version of what Mother Theresa was saying. An individual either is unique and uniquely valuable or isn't. All are or none are. If your existence had happened at the wrong time (I won't use the demeaning word "inconvenient" because sometimes it's little more than that, but sometimes it's a lot worse), you could have been disposed of. Your existence is accidental and contingent.

For me, this is where the whole argument for abortion hinges upon - how you view humanity. Is humanity unique and special in this universe, made by an allmighty Creator? Or, is humanity merely the subject of evolutionary forces without any sense of an omnipotent being, and we're in a real sense "lucky" to be around and not be eaten by velociraptors?

People with prolife positions believe that an abortion is equal to a murder. People with pro-choice positions don't. It seems to me that it's just a matter of location, then. If you're four months in your mother's womb and the doctor performs a dilation and evacuation, that isn't murdering you. If you're bashed in the head five seconds after you've been born, you've been murdered. For the pro-choice person, location - in the mother's body or out of the mother's body - is the only thing that matters.

RELATED: Read Dan Phillips' essay about abortion here.

guns & suicide

Steve Chapman argues that an increase in gun purchases doesn't automatically lead to an increase in suicides.

I highly doubt Chapman considered every study on this issue - he apparently missed at least one. More on that particular study can be found here.

Peyton to have knee surgery

Oh, no! He could miss the season opener at the new Lucas Oil Stadium!

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had a medical procedure Monday to remove an infected bursa sac from his left knee. Colts president Bill Polian announced the procedure, described as routine, on Monday night. Polian said the team’s medical staff expects Manning to have “a full and complete return to action” in four to six weeks. Colts training camp begins July 25.

Hopefully Peyton will make a full recovery. The Colts team isn't as formidable without him.

What are bursa? Read here.

Holy Joker Week, Batman!

Unless you live under a rock (and chances are good that you don't if you're reading this blog), you've heard that The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's sequel to his 2005 Batman Begins, opens this Friday, July 18. The late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is supposedly extraordinary. Are you going to see it? Is it silly of me to even ask the question?

Read the Associated Press review about how it "nearly lives up to the hype."

Read the Rolling Stone review about how the film is "a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie."

Read the Hollywood Reporter review about how it is "pure adrenaline."

Read about the possibility of Batman - or someone like him - actually existing.

Read the Time review about how Nolan "wants viewers to stick their hands down the rat hole of evil and see if they get bitten."

Read the Variety review about how the film has " a robust physicality and a commitment to taking violence seriously."

Read how the Entertainment Weekly review calls it a "ride for the gut and the brain."

You know you're not a fan of the 43rd president when....

... you see this book title, and instantly think that it's about his administration.

Of course, there's this book, too.

And this one, about his last year in the White House.

This game could go on and on...

shirtless Mormon missionaries

I really only have one thing to say about this article.

The creator of a calendar that featured shirtless Mormon missionaries was excommunicated Sunday after a disciplinary meeting with local church leaders in Las Vegas.

Chad Hardy said he bears no ill will toward the council of elders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"I felt like I spoke my truth," the 31-year-old entertainment entrepreneur said. "Bottom-line, they still felt the calendar is inappropriate and not the image that the church wants to have."

Exactly what kind of truth, beyond "I like making money and I think this is a way to do that," were you speaking? Please, don't give the tired I want people to know what they're really like line.

the most over-used line in reality TV

It's exactly what you think it is. "I came here to win...."

Pick a new one, people.

the most ridiculous line a TV character has ever said

Mine would have to be from a promo for a soap opera (natch):

"You kidnapped me for my bone marrow?!?"

What's one you've heard?

Clooney won't marry

George Clooney may be many things (ER doctor, WWII soldier, Batman...), but he's not the marrying kind. At least he's sensible about marriage, realizing that it won't work if he's not there to put the effort into it.

incentives for reducing health insurance premiums

Bill Corley, CEO of Community Health Network, has an editorial letter in yesterday's edition of the Indianapolis Star. Several years ago, CHN implemented mandatory health assessments for employees who chose to have health insurance. CHN offered incentives for those who scored high on the health assessments, including as much as a $50 reduction in biweekly premiums.

This has worked very well, and I've seen that many other companies, not just those in the health field, have taken this approach. I'm quite certain it will be implemented in some form if a national healthcare program becomes reality.

the fading yearbook

I have one for every year. Chances are good that if you went to college, you have four of them, too. They may, however, be a dying breed.

ONE fixture of college life is rapidly disappearing. Yearbooks, those beloved annual publications recording the events and people of the academic year, are suffering from plummeting print-runs, or are even being dropped altogether, in colleges across the country.

The phenomenon is due in part to the price of the hard-bound volumes, typically as high as $75. For cash-strapped students facing ever-rising tuition and living costs they are a luxury that many can’t afford. But the main cause is not the cost so much as the replacement of print with electronic media by and for the Facebook and MySpace generation. With social networks linking hundreds of friends and offering digital photographs and videos the traditional yearbook looks like a bit of a dinosaur.

After more than a hundred years of publication Purdue University, in Indiana, has published its last yearbook, as has nearby DePauw University. Even where colleges have tried to adapt to the new media by, for instance, including DVDs summing up the year along with the print version, yearbooks are attracting few students, readers or editors.

Yearbooks were figured in under the mysterious "room and board" heading, so we didn't really think about how much they cost. Sites like Facebook and MySpace are being partially blamed. Once again, new technology replacing the written page. But those social sites won't be around forever, and the books will last a long, long time.

Supreme Nadal

Of the four championship tournaments of tennis, there is none as celebrated as Wimbledon at the All England Club. And until today, Roger Federer of Switzerland reigned, having won the last five years. Until today...

The world's number two, Rafael Nadal, beat the world's number one in a five-setter for the ages. 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7. Perhaps the greatest men's final ever.

Nadal now has five championships under his belt: four wins at Roland Garros, and one at Wimbledon. Federer remains at twelve championships: five Wimbledon, four U.S. Open, and three Australian Open.

Where is Matt?

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

he was only off by two days

So he got the date wrong. Give him a break. He's John Adams, for crying out loud.

He wrote the following in a letter to his wife Abigail, on July 3, 1776:

The second day of July, 1776, will be memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations, as the great Anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp, shews, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward forever.

Happy birthday, America. And, happy birthday to me, too.

yes, but are they grateful?

Didn't Barack Obama make a speech on Memorial Day about being happy to see a lot of veterans who had paid the ultimate sacrifice? Well, he said something like that. Anyway, I bring that all up because apparently some zombie veterans want to rock for him.


Fantastic! Just in time for the Fourth!

(HT: Entertainment Weekly)

salad dressing + sewage = deliciousness?

I read this story, and I got to thinkin'. What type of salad dressing would actually improve the taste of sewage? I've ruled out Thousand Island and I don't think Ranch would do it, but I can't help thinking that a nice raspberry vinagrette would be just the thing.

Of course, I have no plans to test this theory. If you ever try it, please drop me a line and let me know what you thought.

Leona Helmsley lets her money go to the dogs

People as diverse as Ann Althouse and Al Mohler are talking about Leona Helmsley. She has apparently let her billions of dollars go to the dogs.

Her instructions, specified in a two-page “mission statement,” are that the entire trust, valued at $5 billion to $8 billion and amounting to virtually all her estate, be used for the care and welfare of dogs, according to two people who have seen the document and who described it on condition of anonymity.

It is by no means clear, however, that all the money will go to dogs. Another provision of the mission statement says Mrs. Helmsley’s trustees may use their discretion in distributing the money, and some lawyers say the statement may not mean much anyway, given that its directions were not incorporated into Mrs. Helmsley’s will or the trust documents.

Helmsley had originally planned for some of the money to "help indigent people," but she changed her mind and decided to give them nothing. Only dogs - no other animals, no plant life, and certainly no human beings - were worthy of her money.

For the theists who visit this blog: Does this story in any way upset or bother you? Why or why not? Are human beings worth more than animals, are animals worth more than human beings, or are animals and human beings of equal value? What makes human beings so special?

For the atheists/agnostics who visit this blog: Does this story in any way upset or bother you? If you think the money should be given to help people, how did you determine that they are more worthy of the money than dogs?

"Pagan Christianity"

Ben Witherington, blogger and professor at Asbury Seminary (where my nephew - who just became a father - attends), has critiqued Pagan Christianity by George Barna and Frank Viola. You can read parts one, two, three, and four.

UPDATE: More reviews by the following ---

• Jim Miller for The Daily Sentinel
• Kruse Kronicle
• David D. Flowers
• Bill Kinnon

the importance of language

Gay and gay are not the same thing.

the bitter Bill

So Bill Clinton continues to be upset that Hillary wasn't given the nomination on a platter. It's plain and simple that he doesn't want Obama to win. If Obama does win, Hillary will never become president. If Obama loses, Hillary will run again in 2012.

Congrats, Adam and Dru

I'm about to be a great uncle again!

UPDATE AT 3:00 am: HE'S HERE!

Naked Cowboy sues Mars

The Naked Cowboy of NYC, whom I blogged about two years ago, is in the news because of a lawsuit against the makers of M&M candies.

The Naked Cowboy stands around Times Square all day playing the guitar in his underwear — but that doesn’t give the maker of M&M’s the right to make fun of him to sell candy, he says. That, says Robert Burck, the man in the tighty-whities — and not much else — is the naked truth behind the $4-million lawsuit he’s filed against Mars, the maker of M&M’s, along with the advertising agency that (un)dressed up a morsel of candy in Naked Cowboy gear for a commercial. On Monday, a New York judge, after reviewing the bare legal facts, ruled that Burck can go ahead with the lawsuit.

Good luck, Cowboy. Pick something appropriate to wear when you go to court. Something that would match your, ahem, legal briefs.

money-making jobs of the future

I'm reading Alister McGrath's Christianity's Dangerous Idea, and I came across this passage on page 39:

Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in the German town of Eiselben, the first son of Hans and Margarette Luder (as the name was spelled at this stage; it was later Latinized to the more familiary "Luther")... Having himself risen from the ranks of the German peasantry, Hans was determined to see his son rise still further and bring both status and income to the family. He began to plan his son's future. He would become a lawyer - then, as now, a career with excellent financial prospects.

And, it led me to think: what present-day careers will still exist - and be just as lucrative, or perhaps more so - 500 years from now? Obviously we will still need doctors and other healthcare professionals in some form or other. I'm betting that we will continue to have clergy members and religious leaders as well, even though Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens probably hope that we won't. I don't know if it's quite so obvious that we'll have lawyers. Maybe our societies will be such that every law is perfectly clear with no wiggle room, so lawyers will be unnecessary.

so can I carry around a plutonium-based weapon in my pocket?

At last. The Supremes will tell us what the Second Amendment actually means.

UPDATE: It means you can carry a gun. Didn't it already say that?

smelling coffee gets you going

It's something I've always suspected.

That morning coffee is just the thing to get the brain in gear and the body moving. But it turns out that just the aroma of coffee also gets some of our genes up and at ‘em. That’s according to research in the June 25th issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The authors report that a sniff of coffee turns on several genes in the brain in ways that help diminish the impact of sleep deprivation. In rats, at least.

Of course, this all begs the question: what do rats have to be stressed out about?

James Dobson vs. Barack Obama

On his radio program yesterday, James Dobson of Focus on the Family discussed Senator Barack Obama's comments from June 2006 about Christianity, religious pluralism, and the Bible. Dobson believes that Obama has distorted the Bible and endorsed a "fruitcake interpretation" of the U.S. Constitution (AP story here).

Dobson believes that Obama "equated" him with Rev. Al Sharpton. You can listen to Obama's speech and Dobson's response here. You can also read the text of Obama's speech here.

Naturally, voices from the blogosphere aren't united when it comes to Dobson and Obama:

• Denny Burke thinks Dobson's statements were correct.
• Scot McKnight writes that Dobson misunderstood and distorted Obama's statements.
• LaShawn Barber (who stopped being a political blogger some time ago but seems to be slowly creeping back into it) believes Obama interprets Scripture just like John Kerry.
• Jim Wallis thinks Dobson uses inappropriate language. Of course, Wallis isn't always so charitable with his own language. He has said Vice President Cheney is a liar and President Bush is too stupid to be president. What did the pot say to the kettle?
• Mark Byron says Dobson acts like it's December 25.
• Peter Wehner writes that Obama was "respectful and authentic."

update on Chapman family

Jim Houser, a fellow Cedarville University alum, is the manager for Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman. He has posted a recent update on how the family has been doing since their daughter passed away a month ago.

"10 Ways to Become a Better Film Critic"

Evan Derrick of MovieZeal is offering ten tips to improve your skill at reviewing films. He has posted part one and will soon offer part two. UPDATE: He now offers part two.

His suggestions:

1. Expand your cinematic vocabulary.
2. Respect the medium you are criticizing.
3. Develop an appreciation for all the arts.
4. Study classic film criticism.
5. Develop a unique voice.
6. Don't be dull.
7. Invest yourself in other pursuits.
8. Become an excellent essayist.
9. Avoid the reviews of others before writing... study them afterwards.
10. Develop a philosophy of trash.

seven words you can say on the internet

George Carlin has died of heart failure. He was to be awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humour.

Tom Brokaw will moderate "Meet the Press"

From now until we know who will be the next American president, the former NBC anchorperson will take over the chair on Sunday mornings. It's the smartest move, really, while the search continues for a permanent moderator. I think that if Chris Matthews or Keith Olbermann were really in the running, one of them would have the chair now as opposed to waiting until the middle of November.

"female gay sex"

Sitemeter tells me that someone from New Zealand came here after they Googled the above three words.

Yeah, go figure. They ain't finding that here...

Russert's lessons

Peggy Noonan has a very interesting article on the what she thinks can be learned from Tim Russert's death and the media coverage that followed. It's not an Associated Press article, so I'll feel free to show a bit of her writing here:

In a way, the world is a great liar. It shows you it worships and admires money, but at the end of the day it doesn't. It says it adores fame and celebrity, but it doesn't, not really. The world admires, and wants to hold on to, and not lose, goodness. It admires virtue. At the end it gives its greatest tributes to generosity, honesty, courage, mercy, talents well used, talents that, brought into the world, make it better. That's what it really admires. That's what we talk about in eulogies, because that's what's important. We don't say, "The thing about Joe was he was rich." We say, if we can, "The thing about Joe was he took care of people."

The young are told, "Be true to yourself." But so many of them have no idea, really, what that means. If they don't know who they are, what are they being true to? They're told, "The key is to hold firm to your ideals." But what if no one bothered, really, to teach them ideals?

After Tim's death, the entire television media for four days told you the keys to a life well lived, the things you actually need to live life well, and without which it won't be good. Among them: taking care of those you love and letting them know they're loved, which involves self-sacrifice; holding firm to God, to your religious faith, no matter how high you rise or low you fall. This involves guts, and self-discipline, and active attention to developing and refining a conscience to whose promptings you can respond. Honoring your calling or profession by trying to do within it honorable work, which takes hard effort, and a willingness to master the ethics of your field. And enjoying life. This can be hard in America, where sometimes people are rather grim in their determination to get and to have. "Enjoy life, it's ungrateful not to," said
Ronald Reagan. When it's your time to die, what do you want people to say about you?

I am reminded of a quote that's been attributed to the Cherokee: When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.

that movie offended me!

There are two different lists (here and here) floating around, both featuring films that people have found offensive and worthy of protest. Have you seen any of these? Were you as offended as you planned to be, or did you think that the film actually offered something constructive to say? (And, yes, I believe that all films have a specific point of view, even tasteless comedies and horror flicks)

Gore's energy

He can talk the talk, but apparently not walk the walk.

what are your chances of burning in Hell?

Virgil Vaduva, a fellow Cedarville alum, has the calculations.

I could become a German citizen

Could you?

The real question is, could I become an American citizen if I wasn't already one just because I was born here?

My father

Since I did an entry for my mother on Mother's Day this year (see?), it's only fitting that I would do one for my father on Father's Day. He's wearing his high school baseball uniform. I'm not quite sure of the year - maybe around 1949?



Happy Father's Day, Dad.

Gingrich says the GOP can't complain about Obama's "experience" and win

Newt is correct. Hillary called herself the more "experienced" one, and she didn't beat Obama. Why would McCain think that he could, even though he has a great deal more experience in the Senate than Obama?

An aside: I think it's rather funny that McCain entered politics because he became sort of "stuck" where he was in the military, and now he is someone who could become the next Commander in Chief.

Friday Night Dinner

One of The Wife's former coworkers came to town on business for the weekend. We used the opportunity to dine at one of Naptown's best oldest and most distinguished restaurants, St. Elmo Steak House. St. Elmo, along with several other restaurants, is participating in Devour Downtown by offering a three-course dinner for $30.

The Wife and I chose the same dishes for our meal. We started off with the appetizer that St. Elmo is most famous for, the shrimp cocktail. It's every bit as fiery as everyone says it is and certainly not for the squeamish.

Our main course was the filet mignon, accompanied by redskin mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. The filet, cooked medium, was delicious. The potatoes were mainly creamy with a few meaty lumps. The vegetables on my plate were mostly green beans, with a couple carrots and mini cherry tomatoes for good measure. Our waiter assured us there was no salmonella anywhere on our plates.


Our dessert was chocolate pots de creme, which is similar to a rich pudding. It was topped by fresh blueberries and a sprig of mint. A rich, sweet end to a delicious meal.

Hyperbole

Well, he is a writer, so he knows how to use it.

Tim Russert, 1950-2008

Tim Russert, host of NBC's Sunday morning staple Meet the Press, died earlier today of a heart attack while he was at work. This is indeed shocking. It's too strange to think that we won't be seeing him on election night while his board, writing and crossing off states with his magic markers. He seemed like a genuine and engaging man.

the new SBC president

The Southern Baptist Convention was in town a couple days ago, and among the things they did was to elect a new president. They decided upon Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Georgia. As with many decisions that they've made in the past (like demanding total abstinence from alcohol), the SBC has picked a controversial choice.

Happy Friday the Thirteenth!

Be careful out there. Don't let one of these cross your path, don't walk under this, and don't open one of these indoors.

"Star Wars" meets "Dancing with the Stars"

it's a nice place to visit, but you can't even do that

I'd like to visit Havana, but I can't go (and neither can you, if you're an American). Perhaps that will change with an Obama presidency. After all, the conservative folks on the radio say he'll give all kinds of concessions and appeasements to just about anybody in the world, so maybe next summer I can be eating a truly authentic Cuban sandwich that's not made in Miami.

Indiana flooding

Please pray for my Indiana neighbors in the lower third of the state. They've been hit hard with rain and flooding in the past few days, and some have lost their homes. Residential areas aren't the only places being hit hard because of the rain - the flooding has affected the economy, too. If you look through the pictures on the Indianapolis Star website, you'll see Marines, Amish men, and Mennonites working together to save homes and property.

"There are some soldiers who will do almost anything not to go back."

Soldiers are injuring themselves so they don't return to combat zones.

As an internist at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Stephanie Santos is used to finding odd things in people's stomachs. So last spring when a young man, identifying himself as an Iraq-bound soldier, said he had accidentally swallowed a pen at the bus station, she believed him. That is, until she found a second pen. It read 1-800-GREYHOUND. Last summer, according to published reports, a 20-year-old Bronx soldier paid a hit man $500 to shoot him in the knee on the day he was scheduled to return to Iraq. The year before that, a 24-year-old specialist from Washington state escaped a second tour of duty, according to his sister, by strapping on a backpack full of tools and leaping off the roof of his house, injuring his spine.

It's very catch-22.

what we can learn from Big Brown

As you surely know, Big Brown came in last at yesterday's Belmont Stakes race. The thoroughbred had won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, so everyone was talking about how there may finally be a Triple Crown winner again. Alas, it wasn't to be. Da'Tara, a 38-1 longshot, won the race.

Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., who earlier in the week called Big Brown’s victory in the Belmont Stakes a “forgone conclusion,” rushed back to the barn to tend to the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, the lowest price Belmont Stakes favorite since Secretariat in 1973. He later told reporters that he couldn’t find anything physically wrong with the colt and was next planning to “scope” him to see if bleeding from his nostrils or throat could have interfered with his breathing.

I think there are several lessons to be learned from this:

• There is very little in life that is a "foregone conclusion," much less a horse race. Like Patrick Henry supposedly said, the only certain things are death and taxes.
• It's never wise to boast, because if you don't follow through, you look like an idiot.
• If you're going to race, you have to prepare, no matter how you've done in the past.
• There's a new new sensation every year.

Hillary's concession

You know, it was a good speech...



It was the speech she was supposed to give. I think it took the extra few days from Tuesday evening just to get it right. I wonder what ran through her mind the five minutes before she took the stage.

burning Bush to Burma?

Perhaps the next place we send our military won't be Iran, but Burma.

The Sullivan Award

There have been times when Andrew Sullivan writes something with which I agree, but mostly I find him rather irritating. He has certainly made no bones about his preference of Barack Obama over any other candidate, especially Hillary Clinton. (Oh, how Andrew loathes those evil, narcissistic Clintons! Don't get him started...) Every once in a while, he writes something so patently unfair it is beyond belief.

Take this assessment of Hugh Hewitt's views of Obama. Sullivan has just created "the Hewitt Award, named after the absurd partisan fanatic, Hugh Hewitt, is given for the most egregious attempts to label Barack Obama as un-American, alien, treasonous, and far out of the mainstream of American life and politics."

Sullivan uses this example:

Its most proximate inspiration was this quote from Hewitt himself about the Portland, Oregon, rally:

"And did the Obama rally begin with the Soviet National Anthem?"

Since subtle attempts to describe Obama as a commie atheist alien are a central plank of Republican attacks, the Hewitt Award is reserved for those that border on hilarious extremity.

You might read that and think Hewitt probably wrote that out of the blue without any kind of context whatsoever. It turns out, he did not. He asked the question because the rock band The Decemberists, who "opened" for Obama when he spoke in Portland, typically begin their concerts with the Soviet National Anthem. Hewitt, in that particular post, makes no connection between Obama and communist ideology.

When someone writes something that is incredibly unfair, be sure to hand out The Sullivan Award.

Obama the nominee

Yesterday was truly a historic day. The polls closed in Montana and South Dakota, bringing to an end the Democratic primary process. For the first time in American history, an African American man has won enough delegates to be considered the presidential nominee of a major political party. This is a certainly a momentous time in a country that was partially built on the backs of African slaves. It was not so long ago that America was a deeply divided nation, a land where you could find drinking fountains labeled with a sign reading "For Whites Only."

While I can't say that I'm a true fan of his politics, I admire his ability to deliver a good speech. I am sure he has a few speech writers to thank, but then again, so do many other political folks. Of course, what matters for the president is not whether he can deliver a good line, but whether he can deliver sound policies.

(Photo by Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)

"... there is a lot of sex and nudity in the movie."

It is bizarre to see a review of Sex and the City here, but not entirely unexpected.

"The Jamaican is- WAIT! She's not down!"

Shonda Rimes, creater of Grey's Anatomy (which I don't watch, BTW), is live-blogging The Bee.

"I always have a plan."

Tonight it's my plan to see the finale of the explosive fourth season of Lost, entitled "There's No Place Like Home." The Oceanic Six will come together and leave the island, but what has happened to Locke, Sawyer, Juliet, Bernard, Rose, Jin, Claire, and the other nameless Lostaways that don't make it back to civilization? Why is Claire hanging out in Jacob's cabin with her dead father? Well, we'll find out what the producers want us to find out.

As usual, we've been promised an explosive finale. It's hard to see how they will top last year's "Through the Looking Glass," when we learned that Jack and Kate made it off the island. Since then, we've seen more flashforwards then we have flashbacks. Will there be a new wrinkle to all the flashes, or will it be something else entirely?

the shot of the scene

Here is an in-depth look at Indy's confrontation with Belloq in a Cairo bar. Spielberg shows his genius.

Really, is there a better dressed and more debonair villain in the cinematic world than René Belloq? Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter tried, but didn't succeed in quite the same way. Speaking of Lecter, I'd much rather bump into him in a dark alley than this guy.

Look at me! I'm blogging!

Some people blog purely to get attention. Can you believe it? I mean, seriously...

Right now I'm watching The Young and The Restless on the the Soap channel. I guess I started watching it way back in high school, because my mother watched it. She watched most of the ones on CBS - Y&R, The Bold and the Beautiful, and As The World Turns. She used to watch Guiding Light, but I don't think she does much these days.

So back to Y&R. Of all the characters I find downright frustrating (paging Brad, the houseboy-turned-executive...), I would have to say Nikki is probably the biggest one. I mean, what is she thinking? She only agreed to elope with David Chow because she learned that her former husband Victor, to whom she's been married at least twice and their love affair is one of the most famous in soapdom, has recently become engaged to Sabrina, a French woman at least one-third his age. He's displaying classic signs of using (his drug of choice is anything he can place a bet on), but she's completely ignoring it. She didn't even have him sign a pre-nup, that's to prove how trusting she is of him. The woman has been through a lot, even for a soap opera character. She should really know better.

Anyway, I thought I'd write that just to put down something random. After all, I haven't blogged for a couple days and I can't just put up a link to something else, you know?

isn't it a little childish?

Pastor endorses McCain. McCain praises pastor and accepts endorsement. Media brings light to controversial statements made by pastor. After waiting around a bit, McCain un-accepts pastor's endorsement. Pastor then un-endorses McCain.

How silly can you get?

AND: I think Bill is saying stuff like this because he continues to feel guilt for all the women with whom he had relationships that were inappropriate.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

Let's get the whole age thing out of the way, okay? Harrison Ford was 65 years old when he took up the whip and fedora of Indiana Jones, perhaps his most famous screen character, for the fourth time. There has been some concern about how his age would affect his ability to handle - and make believable - all the stuntwork that Indiana Jones movies seem to demand. After all, he had to fight Nazis twice his size and slide in the dirt behind a truck in Raiders.

Rest assured - Indy is more than capable of handling Russians half his age, maybe a third his age. He jumps across the beams of a warehouse ceiling. He leaps from car to car to pummel some bad guys. He figures out the best way to evade a nuclear blast. He still knows how to use his whip for maximum effectiveness. He even takes off his shirt - something he didn't do in Last Crusade, when he was merely 46 years old - to show off a chiseled look.

The plot, revolving around a crystal skull that defininitely does not appear human, is a bit thinner than the three previous movies. There's a lot more exposition this time around, presumably because the audience knows less about crystal skulls than it does about the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant. Without giving away too much, I'll just say that the ending is reminiscent of two previous Spielberg films - if you've seen Crystal Skull already, you know which ones I mean.

The much-discussed return of Marion Ravenwood to the Indy saga is indeed welcome. She's the pluckiest and spunkiest female lead of the entire series, the perfect antidote to the chilliness of Elsa Schneider and the whininess of Willie Scott. Her voice may be less husky than it was in Raiders, but her spirit has certainly remained the same. And, yes, there is certainly a connection between Indy, Marion, and her son Mutt, played by Shia LaBeouf.

If you want a film that's intricately plotted with a firm grounding in reality, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. If, however, you are seeking a thrill ride of a film that fits perfectly into the Indiana Jones canon, then Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is for you. If you're not yet convinced, let me offer two final words: giant ants.

an unaskable question (for Christians, that is)

Anne Jackson asked the original question. Josh Claybourn and Mark Byron picked up on it.

Do any of my family members who visit here dare to answer?

Indiana Jones, past and present

Here's the trailer for the original:

See? Got you hooked all over again...

I have a few thoughts about what I expect from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which I'm going to see tonight ---

1. The film usually opens with a mini-adventure for Indy. Raiders had Indy trekking through Peru, searching for a gold idol and ultimately losing it to rival Belloq. Temple of Doom had Indy zooming through the streets of Shanghai. Last Crusade was a flashback to Indy obtaining, and then losing, a golden cross that once belonged to Spanish explorer Cortez; we also saw how Indy acquired his hat, his whip, and his fear of snakes. Will Crystal Skull follow the same formula, or will we see something new?

2. I'm glad, glad, glad to see the return of Marion Ravenwood, and I'm not alone. Although she was constantly in situations that required Indy to save her, she wasn't the stereotypical damsel-in-distress that we have seen in earlier films like this. She was spunky, cool, and totally willing to defend herself ("I don't know what kind of people your used to dealing with, Herr Mac, but nobody tells me what to do in my place.") While I enjoyed Willie Scott when Temple of Doom first came out (give me a break - I was 13 years old), she hasn't held up well over time. She screamed about riding an elephant, she wailed about breaking a nail, and she's an all-around irritant to the movie. Elsa Schneider was the most gorgeous of the three love interests, but she also proved to be selfish and complicit with evil men.

3. I wonder what the fate of Cate Blanchett's character, Irina Spalko, will be. Indy's rivals don't fare well at all. Dietrich and Toht literally melted when exposed to the power of the Ark; Belloq simply exploded. Mola Ram fell off a cliff and was eaten by ferocious crocodiles. Walter Donovan drank from a false Grail, aged 100 years in 10 seconds, and turned into goo. Elsa fell down a pit trying to retrieve the Grail. Will Irina meet an equally disturbing end?

4. Indy has not been able to hold on to the main "Maguffin" of each film. The Ark of the Covenant is packed in a crate, stored in a warehouse filled with seemingly millions of other crates. The Sankara Stone returns to the village from whence it was stolen. The Grail stays in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon. Will Indy get to keep the crystal skull?

Just a few hours more...

Update: Go here for a blog-a-thon of (almost) all things Indy.

every vote to count?

She wants to come off as "Al Gore redux" when she's talking about wanting the votes from Florida and Michigan to "count," but I don't see it as working for her. Was she singing that same tune when the Florida and Michigan Democrats were first told their votes wouldn't be added because they went against the DNC and held early primaries? I don't recall that song at all, and do you know why? She was singing another one, in unison with Obama and Edwards.

If Florida and Michigan had gone Obama's way, she wouldn't care one whit about them. She certainly wouldn't be saying that America = Zimbabwe.

Jonathan Chait writes:

This gambit by Clinton is simply an attempt to steal the nomination. It's obviously not going to work, because Democratic superdelegates don't want to commit suicide. But this episode is very revealing about Clinton's character. I try not to make moralistic characterological judgments about politicians, because all politicians compromise their ideals in the pursuit of power. There are no angels in this business. Clinton's gambit, however, truly is breathtaking.

If she's consciously lying, it's a shockingly cynical move. I don't think she's lying. I think she's so convinced of her own morality and historical importance that she can whip herself into a moralistic fervor to support nearly any position that might benefit her, however crass and sleazy. It's not just that she's convinced herself it's okay to try to steal the nomination, she has also appropriated the most sacred legacies of liberalism for her effort to do so. She is proving herself temperamentally unfit for the presidency.

Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter dies in auto accident

It's hard to think about what God is doing when this kind of thing happens:

The girl, Maria, was hit in the driveway of the family's home Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The brother, whose name and exact age weren't available, apparently did not see the girl, McPherson said. No charges are expected.

"It looks like a tragic accident," she said.

Several family members witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville. The girl died later at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway said.

Prayers are for the Chapman family at this time.

yahoo! picks "20 greatest movie creatures"

You have to admit, the list has a pretty wide range, from creatures new (the minotaur from the just released Prince Caspian) and old (the original King Kong). I guess Jabba the Hutt is a fair choice from the Star Wars universe, but I would have chosen Yoda because he's a richer and more complex character and he has a lot more screen time throughout the entire series. I'm pleased to see two Harryhausen creations, the skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts and Medusa from Clash of the Titans, among the others. I suspect that Smaug from the upcoming The Hobbit will replace the dragon from Eragon.

The only creature I find truly frightening is the Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth. See what I mean?

reviews for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

The movie of the summer opens in just a few days. I plan to see it with some friends, and hopefully talk about it here sometime afterwards. Reviews are already pouring in, and although there are some who didn't like it, I don't think negative critiques will make a difference at the box office. Indy is, and always has been, for the fans. Even Raiders was made for fans of the action/adventure genre; it's just that the film was such a quality work that the critics loved - and still love - it.

Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars (out of 4): "I can say that if you liked the other Indiana Jones movies, you will like this one, and that if you did not, there is no talking to you. And I can also say that a critic trying to place it into a heirarchy with the others would probably keep a straight face while recommending the second pound of sausage." You'll have to read the full review to see why Ebert's talking about sausage.

Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave it a B-: "In this revival of the Indiana Jones franchise, everything is new and nothing is new. The movie's legacy may simply be the melee that ensues when Spielberg cracks the whip and moviegoers scurry for tickets."

Jennie Yabroff of Newsweek calls the film's plot "particularly unnecessarily hokey and complex," and "Indy World is a place you can visit again and again, where nothing ever really changes, and, as this latest tour affirms, after two hours you'll be quite ready to go home." Read her full review with care: she reveals the relationship between Indy and new sidekick Mutt, which has been speculated upon for some time.

If Indy IV is a success (and there is no "if", really - it will be successful), Spielberg has said he will probably make more.

the only one with class

Literally. How weird to be the only one in the audience and your governor is speaking to you. Does he maintain eye contact? Does he look out at phantoms?

Victoria Day

Since I'm an American, I had no idea that today is a holiday celebrated by our friends in the North. Tim Challies has the scoop.

It was in 1845 that Canada’s Legislature first declared May 24, Queen Victoria’s birthday, a holiday. After Victoria’s death in 1901, Parliament passed an Act that established a legal holiday on May 24 in each year (or May 25 if May 24 fell on a Sunday) under the name Victoria Day. Since then, the birthday of each of the subsequent kings and queens has been celebrated on or around that same day. A later amendment to the Act of Parliament established the celebration of Victoria Day on the Monday preceding May 25. And this is why we celebrated Victoria Day today, even though it is only the 19th. While the official name of the holiday is Victoria Day, many Canadians refer to it as “May Twenty-Four.” The queen’s birthday has largely been forgotten and instead the day tends to mark the unofficial beginning of the summer season.

The traditional way to celebrate the day (or more often the whole weekend) is to head to a cottage or campground and to drink oneself into oblivion—a fairly popular Canadian pastime. For this reason the holiday has become known colloquially as “May two four.” (A “two four” is a Canadian term for a case of beer that contains, of course, twenty four bottles). For many Canadians it is the weekend they open their cottages after spending a winter away. The long weekend concludes with fireworks displays as soon as it is dark enough to see them. Many people find themselves unwilling or unable to remain awake after dark on Monday night, so it’s not unusual to find firework displays throughout the weekend. Some towns host “official” displays while in others neighbors get together and fire off their own. Victoria Day is one of only two days where Canadians tend to use fireworks (the other being July 1 or Canada Day).

alien comparisons

I enjoy the writings of film critic Peter Chattaway, almost nearly as much as Roger Ebert's. In this piece, he compares Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to a classic Spielberg film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

you've come a long way, Joker baby

The most notorious comic book villain is about to claim his spot in the sun.

Consider how far he has come, from this....

to this...

"Prince Caspian"

Jeffrey Overstreet has a roundup of links for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. It seems the movie is very different from C.S. Lewis' book.

Peter Chattaway reviewed the film for Christianity Today. He concludes:

Prince Caspian is a reasonably enjoyable and diverting bit of entertainment, and it may satisfy people who have been waiting for a worthy successor to the movie version of The Lord of the Rings but felt the previous Narnia movie wasn't quite it. And if it lacks Lewis' message, oh well, with any luck, it will turn people on to the book, which is where the real magic lies.

maybe he should have ducked for cover...

Senator Obama has his own "Bosnian sniper fire" moment...


Of course, it will be interesting to see if this gets as much play in the MSM as Senator Clinton's "misspeaking" did.

If you can move the island, where's the steering wheel?

Lost will show the first hour of the three-hour-long season finale "There's No Place Like Home" tomorrow night. So, sometime between now and next Thursday at 11:00 PM EST/10:00 PM CST, we will have learned the following:

• how the Oceanic Six made it back to civilization
• how Jack "rescued" Kate
• why Sawyer chose to stay (if it really was a matter of choice)
• how Kate decides to take Aaron with her
• how Jin died (if he really did die)

Patrick Day at LA Times says we need to break out the hankies.

At the end of last week's "Cabin Fever," Locke claims that Christian Shepard told him to move the island. Strange as it may seem, Michio Kaku says it's possible.

Carville thinks Obama will get it

If your most loyal supporter says you ain't gonna get the nomination, do you really have a reason to stay?

the United Countries of Baseball

For the most part, this map seems right. It's hard to tell where central Indiana's loyalty lies. We have a pretty good mix, at least I think we do, of Reds and Cards fans, but I'm not sure we have that many Cubs fans. We have our triple-A Indians, of course, but they are affiliated with the Pirates and I've never met any gung-ho Pittsburgh fans around these parts.

Maybe my fellow Hoosiers who stop by here can offer their thoughts.

Joyce "Dottie" Rambo, 1934-2008

One of the legends of southern gospel music has passed away after a bus accident. Dottie Rambo was 74.

"She was a giant in the gospel music industry," said Beckie Simmons, Rambo's agent. "Dolly Parton recorded some of her songs."

Parton sent condolences to "everyone involved in this terrible tragedy."

"I know Dottie is in heaven in the arms of God right now, but our earth angel will surely be missed," Parton said in a statement. "Dottie was a dear friend, a fellow singer, songwriter and entertainer, and as of late my duet singing partner."

a Texas wedding

The New York Times has photos of Jenna Bush's nuptials. The president called the wedding "spectacular."

Mad Pride

Persons with mental illnesses come together:

About 5.7 million Americans over 18 have bipolar disorder, which is classified as a mood disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Another 2.4 million have schizophrenia, which is considered a thought disorder. The small slice of this disparate population who have chosen to share their experiences with the public liken their efforts to those of the gay-rights and similar movements of a generation ago.

Just as gay-rights activists reclaimed the word queer as a badge of honor rather than a slur, these advocates proudly call themselves mad; they say their conditions do not preclude them from productive lives.

Mad pride events, organized by loosely connected groups in at least seven countries including Australia, South Africa and the United States, draw thousands of participants, said David W. Oaks, the director of MindFreedom International, a nonprofit group in Eugene, Ore., that tracks the events and says it has 10,000 members.

My mother

Here she is at age 19. Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

If you don't have any flowers to give to your mom today, I'll let you have some of mine.

purple
Originally uploaded by Good Brownie

Graceland photos from the web

I have more pictures of Elvis Presley's home to put up here, but there are lots of pictures of Graceland to be found in the internet. Though there aren't many, I particularly like the photos here. They have a certain artistic edge to them, which is fitting given the location.

Linky & Dinky have some photos which they claim to be of the closed-off second floor. I guess only Priscilla and Lisa Marie can verify if they are authentic, but they sure are in the same style of the rest of the home.

In July 1999, Rick and Jen Umali visited Graceland and took several photos. They paid $10 to tour the house. Nine years later, the ticket prices has almost tripled.

the grounds of Graceland

Here's another view of the entrance to Graceland. We were some of the last people to take the tour for the day, so fortunately there weren't any tourists around to block the view. As you can see, the shades on the second floor are drawn so no one can see inside. The second floor is blocked off to visitors and workers alike. Supposedly, only a few people, other than Priscilla and Lisa Marie, have seen the upstairs since Elvis' death. The audio tour guide said that the second floor was blocked off because Elvis didn't allow his guests upstairs.

This next photo is of the back portion of the home. I believe this is just outside the "jungle room."

Here is the pool, on the right side of the house (as you're looking at it from the street). My youngest daughter didn't understand why we couldn't let her go swimming.

Elvis apparently loved horses, and enjoyed keeping them on his property. I don't know if these two are related to the ones he kept.


This last photo is of the swingset Elvis bought for his little girl, Lisa Marie. I don't know if she has allowed her own children to come and give it a try.

Iron Man and the Bat Man

what everybody in the Christian blogosphere is (and should be) reading today

The Manifesto.

An Evangelical Manifesto is an open declaration of who Evangelicals are and what they stand for. It has been drafted and published by a representative group of Evangelical leaders who do not claim to speak for all Evangelicals, but who invite all other Evangelicals to stand with them and help clarify what Evangelical means in light of “confusions within and the consternation without” the movement. As the Manifesto states, the signers are not out to attack or exclude anyone, but to rally and to call for reform.

As an open declaration, An Evangelical Manifesto addresses not only Evangelicals and other Christians but other American citizens and people of all other faiths in America, including those who say they have no faith. It therefore stands as an example of how different faith communities may address each other in public life, without any compromise of their own faith but with a clear commitment to the common good of the societies in which we all live together.

For those who are Evangelicals, the deepest purpose of the Manifesto is a serious call to reform—an urgent challenge to reaffirm Evangelical identity, to reform Evangelical behavior, to reposition Evangelicals in public life, and so rededicate ourselves to the high calling of being Evangelical followers of Jesus Christ

primary delusions

The junior senator from New York said, "Full speed on to the White House." If she is referring to herself, she is clearly delusional. I've seen people admitted to the hospital for making these kind of statements. She lost North Carolina in a major way. She narrowly won Indiana with 2 percentage points, which she's calling a "tie" after their splitting of Pennsylvania and North Carolina. (Someone needs to tell her that it's no "tie.") And yet, she's acting like she's had some huge victory. Remember "It's the economy, stupid" slogan from Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign? The slogan for this year is "It's the delegate count, stupid."

Combined votes from Indiana and North Carolina:

• Hillary Clinton: 1,296,194
• Barack Obama: 1,506,557

Tim Russert said, "We now know who the nominee is." And he wasn't referring to Clinton. The nominee will not be without problems when he faces McCain in the fall - he will have lingering questions about his "experience" and "friends" like Jeremiah Wright that will demand answers.

the Indiana Primary

Just like my fellow Hoosiers Doug and Vic, I did my civic duty and voted. I arrived at our voting center, the local elementary school, just before 10:00. There were about 20 cars parked outside the gymnasium door. Several signs for local candidates lined the grass along the pavement, but none were for Clinton or Obama. Two women and a man, perched like vultures just outside the gymnasium, asked me to vote for them for the local school board. I didn't tell them that I didn't really care whether they won or not, because my daughter goes to a private school. No need to be rude on such a fine morning.

'Twas no queue to delay me. I walked quickly to the table where two schoolmarm-ish ladies demanded proof of my identity. Naturally, I showed them my driver's license. They seemed adequately pleased, and I was given a ballot. I walked over to one of five small lecterns and made my choices. I had forgotten the people who wanted my vote for school council, so I did what I always do when I vote for categories I don't really care about: I pick whatever name sounds "the coolest."

let's go Outback/Chili's/Lonestar/Friday's tonight

The NYT has an article on something that must be anathema to the celebrated chefs of NYC: the chain restaurant. We are quite accustomed to them here in Indianapolis, and they've sounded the death knell for many locally-owned restaurants. I must admit, though, I completely enjoy the buffalo chicken sandwich at Max & Erma's.

What about you? Do you celebrate or curse the chains?

how many Indianas are there?

John Edwards says there are two Americas, but he's got nothing on Monica Davey, who says there are three or four or possibly more Indianas.

Big Brown wins!

The Kentucky Derby, that is. Obviously, he's the one I was rooting for. Eight Belles, the filly, came in second, but was tragically injured and had to be euthanized.

the most exciting 2 minutes

Tomorrow is the first Saturday in May, and that means it's time for the Kentucky Derby. Most of the horses have unusual names - which seemes to be the tradition - but there is one that I especially like. I'll let you look at this list and figure out which one.

One of my goals in life is to attend the Derby, hopefully in the stands one day. We visited Louisville last summer, but we didn't go to Churchill Downs. We did visit the Brown Hotel to eat a "Hot Brown" and drink a mint julep. The drink was a tad bit sweet and I'm not sure if I'll ever order one again, but the julep has its admirers.

Update: If you wish, you can follow the live blog.

the beautiful people?

Pop culture mag People has published it's yearly list of the 100 Most Beautimous Persons Around, or something like that. Lots of "celebrities," natch. It's never been a magazine to focus on really important issues, but I think this kind of thing is a prime example of shallowness. Purely subjective, of course, and completely American. What's beautiful in one culture isn't necessarily beautiful in another. I've seen people who are far more beautiful - including The Wife - than the ones on this list.

Let's see what the Apostle Peter thought of external beauty. He wrote about it in the third chapter of his first letter:

Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

How many of the people on that list would fulfill Peter's standard of beauty?

Beale Street

I didn't just visit Graceland when I went to Memphis. We also spent an evening on Beale Street, a section of Memphis that's rich with African American history. We ate dinner with some of The Wife's relatives at this funky little blues place. I won't give you the name of the place, because it wasn't very good and they weren't going to play any music until several hours after we had left.

Here's another look at that guy in the red zoot suit. I wanted to talk with him about what he was wearing, but I wasn't sure how I would come across.

We did a lot of window shopping. Many of the stores had unusual names and signs.

No, we didn't go into Tater Red's. A little too creepy for the kiddies.

Graceland's kitchen

There is certainly a timeless quality to Graceland, but the most dated room is definitely the kitchen. It really does some that the 1970's pulled open the refrigerator, grabbed some grub, sat down, and just never really left.

I was tempted to pick up this vase, but I controlled myself. Besides, I didn't want to get arrested for trying to boost something from Elvis' place.

The appliances are really what make the room.

the Democratic primary season in 7 minutes

A brief history of the past year.