It's over
Well, Michael, finally. No more battling. No more wondering. It's official now....
You are a murderer.
You are a murderer.
posted by Brendt @ 11:51 AM
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Gov't moves fast on wrong end
In an article about the Terri Schiavo case:
Also Friday, the FBI said a man was arrested in Fairview, N.C., on charges of sending an e-mail threat, allegedly for offering a $250,000 bounty for Michael Schiavo's death and $50,000 for that of a judge in the case. The FBI did not identify the judge.
Richard Alan Meywes allegedly sent the e-mail Tuesday to two Tampa-area news organizations and the host of a national conservative talk show, the FBI said.
Kill your wife over a period of one to two weeks, and the courts will drag their feet like a UNC point guard just to do nothing. Threaten to attempt to hire someone to kill a murderer, and they'll have you in cuffs within 3 days.
Granted, Meywes' actions were stupid. But he has nothing on the government.
posted by Brendt @ 11:23 AM
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Music for geeks
OK, so it's college night. Here's another story.
Georgia Tech students are usually not known for being the most well-rounded people in the world. Let's face it -- many of us were geeks. And how many people in their late teens or early 20's do you know who are interested in and/or knowledgeable of classical music, anyway?
Wanting to inject a little culture into our lives, the director of the School of Music started a class on music history and theory. But in order for anyone to take it, he had to make it laughably easy. In the history of the class, one person had failed to make an A. His "friends" had signed him up for the class, and didn't tell him until it was too late to drop it. He still got a B.
In music circles, this professor was a big wig. He was music director at a large church nearby. He had studied under Robert Shaw (conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for about 350 years). He'd conduct better and more interesting and knowledgeable tours than the tour guides at music museums and other similar sites in Europe. What he was doing at Georgia Tech is beyond me.
But because of his background, at least 1/3 of the class was anecdotal -- all relating to music, of course, but story time abounded. A couple of the stories revolved around an opera. The basic plot of the opera is that there is a guy who is the equivalent of a police chief, who is madly in love with a woman who is in love with another man. The police chief has the other man arrested falsely and is going to have him executed. He tells the woman that if she'll just sleep with him, that he'll release her lover. She does so, only to find that the police chief lied. In the final scene, the man stands on the edge of a cliff before a firing squad. They shoot him and he dies and falls over the edge. The woman then sings a long aria of lament, then jumps off the cliff in despair. (A trampoline is hidden behind the cliff facade for the jumpers.)
On one occasion, a snobbish and quite large soprano had the role of the woman. She agreed to the part only on the conditions that (a) she was paid extra money because of the jump and (b) she wouldn't do the jump in rehearsals, only for performances. On the night of the first performance, she jumped, and due to her size, bounced higher than the cliff facade! Not once, not twice, but three times, re-appearing to the audience.
For the other story, it is necessary to know that traveling opera companies usually don't have extras with them, but use local music students in each city. There are no lines; it's usually just being in a parade/processional, and the instruction given is simply, "Follow the principals on (and/or off) the stage." Operas are usually rehearsed in order, and for this same opera, they ran out of time before rehearsing the final scene. Locals were being used for the firing squad, and they realized, just before going on, that they didn't know how to get off stage. In his haste and distractedness, the director mistakenly said the usual thing -- "Follow the principals off stage." So after the female lead jumped off the cliff, each member of the firing squad did the same.
Georgia Tech students are usually not known for being the most well-rounded people in the world. Let's face it -- many of us were geeks. And how many people in their late teens or early 20's do you know who are interested in and/or knowledgeable of classical music, anyway?
Wanting to inject a little culture into our lives, the director of the School of Music started a class on music history and theory. But in order for anyone to take it, he had to make it laughably easy. In the history of the class, one person had failed to make an A. His "friends" had signed him up for the class, and didn't tell him until it was too late to drop it. He still got a B.
In music circles, this professor was a big wig. He was music director at a large church nearby. He had studied under Robert Shaw (conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for about 350 years). He'd conduct better and more interesting and knowledgeable tours than the tour guides at music museums and other similar sites in Europe. What he was doing at Georgia Tech is beyond me.
But because of his background, at least 1/3 of the class was anecdotal -- all relating to music, of course, but story time abounded. A couple of the stories revolved around an opera. The basic plot of the opera is that there is a guy who is the equivalent of a police chief, who is madly in love with a woman who is in love with another man. The police chief has the other man arrested falsely and is going to have him executed. He tells the woman that if she'll just sleep with him, that he'll release her lover. She does so, only to find that the police chief lied. In the final scene, the man stands on the edge of a cliff before a firing squad. They shoot him and he dies and falls over the edge. The woman then sings a long aria of lament, then jumps off the cliff in despair. (A trampoline is hidden behind the cliff facade for the jumpers.)
On one occasion, a snobbish and quite large soprano had the role of the woman. She agreed to the part only on the conditions that (a) she was paid extra money because of the jump and (b) she wouldn't do the jump in rehearsals, only for performances. On the night of the first performance, she jumped, and due to her size, bounced higher than the cliff facade! Not once, not twice, but three times, re-appearing to the audience.
For the other story, it is necessary to know that traveling opera companies usually don't have extras with them, but use local music students in each city. There are no lines; it's usually just being in a parade/processional, and the instruction given is simply, "Follow the principals on (and/or off) the stage." Operas are usually rehearsed in order, and for this same opera, they ran out of time before rehearsing the final scene. Locals were being used for the firing squad, and they realized, just before going on, that they didn't know how to get off stage. In his haste and distractedness, the director mistakenly said the usual thing -- "Follow the principals off stage." So after the female lead jumped off the cliff, each member of the firing squad did the same.
posted by Brendt @ 11:34 PM
What's my prof's name?
OK, this is another college story. I find it amusing and so did at least a few others, so I thought I'd commit it to electrons before senility relegated it to being lost forever.
When I attended Georgia Tech (in the mid-to-late 80s, when dinosaurs roamed the earth), we were on the quarter system. I only clarify that for those who know that it's now on the semester system -- "semester" being derived from a Latin word that means "one-third, but not really".
A little more background: At that time, a normal course load was 15 credit hours. 12 or more meant you were full-time, and full-time students paid the same amount regardless of how many hours they took. Part-time students (fewer than 12 hours) paid on a "per hour" basis.
Georgia Tech is a state school, so out-of-state students paid substantially more than in-state students, nearly triple, if memory serves correctly. Such was the case for one of my housemates, Ken, who had 26 hours left to graduate, going into spring quarter of 1985.
Ken wanted to graduate at the end of summer quarter, and in 1985, much federal student aid (on which he was reliant) was cut for summer students (I guess no congressmen had kids going to school in the summer). This meant that he would have to pay out-of-pocket for whatever he took in the summer. So he decided to minimize that by maximing what he took in the spring. Really maximize -- he took the absolute limit -- 23 credit hours. (Remember, 15 was average. 18-19 was heavy. 20 was ludicrous.)
Ken was an architecture major and 5 of the 23 hours was his senior project. Architecture senior projects are massively time-consuming, in and of themselves. Those in engineering majors had it easy compartively. Ken was working constantly. The only breaks he took were for church, meals, and sleep. The rest of the guys in our house set up a study schedule: "You'll stay up late with Ken tonight; I'll get up early with him tomorrow."
Remember when I mentioned sleep? Ken sometimes skipped classes, just to grab some more sleep. Case in point, he managed to get in an Electrical Engineering seminar class. It met once a week for an hour and featured a guest speaker each week. Just show up all 10 weeks and you get an A. Ken got a B. (Starting the next quarter, that class was closed to non-EE majors. Can't help but wonder if Ken had a hand in that.)
Another class he skipped a lot was introductory French. (He had a lot of electives) He knew enough French already to be able to afford skipping the class, but when it came time to take the final, he had a quandry. For the class he was in, there were four sections (each with a different professor). All four finals were at the same time, but one was on the opposite end of campus from the others, and Ken had skipped class so much, that he didn't remember his prof's name (and hence, didn't know which final to go to).
He decided to swallow his pride and call the School of Modern Languages and just ask. Back then, all offices on campus had an 894 prefix in the phone number, and all dorms had a 676 prefix. Because of the consistency, the campus directory only printed the remaining four digits. Unfortunately, Ken goofed. Meaning to dial 894-xxxx, he dialed 676-xxxx. The ensuing conversation went something like this:
When I attended Georgia Tech (in the mid-to-late 80s, when dinosaurs roamed the earth), we were on the quarter system. I only clarify that for those who know that it's now on the semester system -- "semester" being derived from a Latin word that means "one-third, but not really".
A little more background: At that time, a normal course load was 15 credit hours. 12 or more meant you were full-time, and full-time students paid the same amount regardless of how many hours they took. Part-time students (fewer than 12 hours) paid on a "per hour" basis.
Georgia Tech is a state school, so out-of-state students paid substantially more than in-state students, nearly triple, if memory serves correctly. Such was the case for one of my housemates, Ken, who had 26 hours left to graduate, going into spring quarter of 1985.
Ken wanted to graduate at the end of summer quarter, and in 1985, much federal student aid (on which he was reliant) was cut for summer students (I guess no congressmen had kids going to school in the summer). This meant that he would have to pay out-of-pocket for whatever he took in the summer. So he decided to minimize that by maximing what he took in the spring. Really maximize -- he took the absolute limit -- 23 credit hours. (Remember, 15 was average. 18-19 was heavy. 20 was ludicrous.)
Ken was an architecture major and 5 of the 23 hours was his senior project. Architecture senior projects are massively time-consuming, in and of themselves. Those in engineering majors had it easy compartively. Ken was working constantly. The only breaks he took were for church, meals, and sleep. The rest of the guys in our house set up a study schedule: "You'll stay up late with Ken tonight; I'll get up early with him tomorrow."
Remember when I mentioned sleep? Ken sometimes skipped classes, just to grab some more sleep. Case in point, he managed to get in an Electrical Engineering seminar class. It met once a week for an hour and featured a guest speaker each week. Just show up all 10 weeks and you get an A. Ken got a B. (Starting the next quarter, that class was closed to non-EE majors. Can't help but wonder if Ken had a hand in that.)
Another class he skipped a lot was introductory French. (He had a lot of electives) He knew enough French already to be able to afford skipping the class, but when it came time to take the final, he had a quandry. For the class he was in, there were four sections (each with a different professor). All four finals were at the same time, but one was on the opposite end of campus from the others, and Ken had skipped class so much, that he didn't remember his prof's name (and hence, didn't know which final to go to).
He decided to swallow his pride and call the School of Modern Languages and just ask. Back then, all offices on campus had an 894 prefix in the phone number, and all dorms had a 676 prefix. Because of the consistency, the campus directory only printed the remaining four digits. Unfortunately, Ken goofed. Meaning to dial 894-xxxx, he dialed 676-xxxx. The ensuing conversation went something like this:
Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell me my French prof's name.Look at this from the perspective of the poor guy in the dorm room. You're up to your eyeballs, studying for finals, and some guy calls you to quiz you on his professor's name. I wonder if that guy ever graduated....
Uhhh, no.
Well, I know it's either Smith or Jones, but I'm not sure which it is.
I don't know.
Well, he's short, has a beard, wears a beret a lot.
I don't know.
Isn't this the School of Modern Languages?
No, it's Caldwell 217.
Oh......um..........sorry
posted by Brendt @ 10:37 PM
God love 'em
My grandmother has an expression that she uses -- "God love 'em". Sometimes she uses it in sympathy ("Joe's been sick lately, God love him"), sometimes in gratitude ("Mary was very encouraging to me, God love her") and in other manners, too. I don't remember her not using that phrase in my 38 years on this planet.
Sometimes when you hear something often, you don't really hear it. Such is the case here. Recently, the profundity of that phrase hit me like a hammer:
God love 'em
What greater desire could we express for another person, no matter what their circumstance or standing, than for God's love to rain down on them?
Thanks for the lesson, Nana. God love ya.
Sometimes when you hear something often, you don't really hear it. Such is the case here. Recently, the profundity of that phrase hit me like a hammer:
God love 'em
What greater desire could we express for another person, no matter what their circumstance or standing, than for God's love to rain down on them?
Thanks for the lesson, Nana. God love ya.
posted by Brendt @ 10:14 PM
Self-definition
In Western culture, men usually define themselves by what they do. The question "Who are you?" is often answered with one's occupation, or maybe even avocation. At some point, I realized the folly of this, and when filling out online profiles and such, under "Job", I'd put "I have a job, but if doesn't define me." That was all well and good, but I realized after a while that I didn't really know what did define me.
In his recording of the Gospel, John refers to himself in the third person, as "the disciple Jesus loved". I used to think that this was just a form of modesty, or a desire to be accurate without shining the light on himself. But perhaps it was more. Perhaps this was what defined John.
And perhaps, this is what should define me, too.
In his recording of the Gospel, John refers to himself in the third person, as "the disciple Jesus loved". I used to think that this was just a form of modesty, or a desire to be accurate without shining the light on himself. But perhaps it was more. Perhaps this was what defined John.
And perhaps, this is what should define me, too.
posted by Brendt @ 10:04 PM
Moneychangers in the temple
A Christian store is selling (on its website) transcripts of two sermons, one regarding September 11 and one regarding Veterans' Day. They're "only" $8 each.
I can't even think of a smart-aleck comment to go here, so I'll say no more, except to beg your pardon while I go vomit.
I can't even think of a smart-aleck comment to go here, so I'll say no more, except to beg your pardon while I go vomit.
posted by Brendt @ 9:27 PM
Sunday, March 20, 2005
There, but for the grace of God....
Last night, I was at the mall food court, getting a smoothie. When a smoothie store is busy (as this one was then), the smoothies get done in bunches, and then there is a lag, simply because they have a finite number of blenders. Ahead of me in line was a group of pre-teen and teenage girls. The next-to-last of their orders was completed, and I heard one of them say, "Let's go; we're gonna be late" and they all (with the exception of the last girl) took off, ignoring the pleas of the last girl to wait for her. She was obviously the youngest of the group, probably about 12, 4-foot-nothing, 75 pounds soaking wet.
As she waited (and waited and waited) for her smoothie, she became more and more agitated, eventually breaking down in tears, convinced that she would be left behind. I searched my mind for any way that a 38-year-old guy could offer a ride to a 12-year-old girl without the guy getting arrested or the girl freaking out, but couldn't come up with anything. So, I just prayed that her "friends" weren't as uncaring and stupid as they seemed, and that she'd be able to catch up with them.
I came home and said to my wife, a high school math teacher, that I didn't know how she did it, and related the story to her. Perhaps it was because I'd more likely be in that one girl's shoes than in the others', but I really don't think I was ever that idiotic as a teenager.
Today at church, I was singing on our worship team. I happened to look down at the 2nd row, where a bunch of our youth generally sit. They are a bit older than the group last night, but not much. The group was mostly girls, and every last one of them was totally wrapped up in worship -- not in the groovy music or the cute 19-year-old worship leader -- they were in the throne room.
Two groups. Night and day.
God's the only real difference.
As she waited (and waited and waited) for her smoothie, she became more and more agitated, eventually breaking down in tears, convinced that she would be left behind. I searched my mind for any way that a 38-year-old guy could offer a ride to a 12-year-old girl without the guy getting arrested or the girl freaking out, but couldn't come up with anything. So, I just prayed that her "friends" weren't as uncaring and stupid as they seemed, and that she'd be able to catch up with them.
I came home and said to my wife, a high school math teacher, that I didn't know how she did it, and related the story to her. Perhaps it was because I'd more likely be in that one girl's shoes than in the others', but I really don't think I was ever that idiotic as a teenager.
Today at church, I was singing on our worship team. I happened to look down at the 2nd row, where a bunch of our youth generally sit. They are a bit older than the group last night, but not much. The group was mostly girls, and every last one of them was totally wrapped up in worship -- not in the groovy music or the cute 19-year-old worship leader -- they were in the throne room.
Two groups. Night and day.
God's the only real difference.
posted by Brendt @ 3:53 PM
Friday, March 18, 2005
Judge for yourself
In Auburn, Wyoming:
All of the above came from just 3 pages of Google searches -- not very hard at all to find. I'm sick of reading about these (and you probably are, too) or I'd post more.
Oh, one more description of a starvation, this one from Pinellas Park, Florida:
An Auburn man was arrested and charged with nine counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty March 3 after he allegedly starved two of his horses to death at his property on 3rd West County Road, according to documents filed in Lincoln County Court.In Van Buren, Arkansas:
A Crawford County couple was charged Friday with 17 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty after sheriff's deputies found 54 animals suffering from starvation on their property.In Miami, Florida:
Miami-Dade police arrested two people after officers found at least 50 puppies and several birds officers said were suffering from neglect. Officers said the animals, found at a property in the 19000 block of Southwest 200 Street in Redland, were malnourished and were being kept without water.In Cross Lanes, West Virginia:
[Hubert] Wilmer was arrested for starving his pet dog Sunbear to death in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, just northwest of Charleston.In Buena Vista, Tennessee:
Michelle Thompson, of Buena Vista, TN, plead guilty to charges of animal cruelty in General Sessions Court. Thompson had deliberately starved her estranged husband's Boston Terrier, Elmo, to death. Elmo was severely emaciated, dehydrated and full of intestinal parasites....In Parkersburg, West Virginia:
[Russetta] Naylor and her boyfriend John Snider are both charged with five counts of animal abuse. Abuse that police say went so far [that] it killed two animals and left the other three in a critical state. "The three puppies were starving to death, had mange and their fur was falling off. The conditions were filthy," said Parkersburg Police Chief Bob Newell.In Washington, DC:
The veterinarian's report showed that the pit bull was profoundly emaciated, with no body fat present whatsoever, and there was no food found in the dog's stomach or intestines. The owner was arrested and was found guilty in DC Superior Court for starvation of the pit bull.The organization http://www.unchainyourdog.org/ reports on 35 instances of animal cruelty in the last 9 months -- many of them leading to arrests.
All of the above came from just 3 pages of Google searches -- not very hard at all to find. I'm sick of reading about these (and you probably are, too) or I'd post more.
Oh, one more description of a starvation, this one from Pinellas Park, Florida:
[After three of four days], the mouth begins to look dry and the eyes appear sunken. From days five to 10, respiration becomes irregular with periods of very fast and then very slow breathing. By the final days, kidney function declines, toxins begin accumulating in the body, and multiple organ systems fail from lack of nutrition.Three minor variations on this one:
- This is happening right now. We're in Day One as this is composed.
- The legal system has sanctioned this.
- The subject is not a horse, or a bird, or a cat, or a dog.
posted by Brendt @ 11:03 PM
