Thursday, August 30, 2012

All the Things


“Over and again, last call for sin
While everyone’s lost, the battle is won.”
    “All the Things That I’ve Done,” Killers

Mitt Romney let it be known that he listens to The Killers, whose lead singer, Brandon Flowers, is Mormon.  He didn’t say what his favorite Killers song is, but I’d bet, if he really listens to them, that it is not “Mr. Brightside.”  Probably more like “Read My Mind,” which contains the line, “Slippin’ in my faith until I fall.”  Running mate Ryan claims he’s an AC/DC and Zeppelin fan.  What unctuous phony baloneys.  In an email mentioning how Ryan’s speech pandered to the evangelicals in his party, Ray Smock wrote, “The Republican Party has a writhing poisonous snake in its hands and does not know how to let go without being fatally bitten.”  I replied, “I like your reference to the poisonous snake in the Republican party’s hands.  It reminds me of a scene in “The Campaign” (which unfortunately I can’t recommend wholeheartedly) where Will Ferrell as Cam Brady has a snake in his hands at a fundamentalist church, gets bit, and lets out a string of profanity.”

Too bad Hurricane Isaac didn’t cause cancellation of the Republican convention.  Keynote speaker Chris Christie made a pathetic attempt to sound self-righteous (as the New York Post succinctly put it, “Fat Chance”) while Anne Romney made a shameless pitch to win over suburban stay-at-home moms.

Back with the Tuesday lunch regulars at IUN’s Redhawk Café, Anne Balay mentioned how many women faculty we’ve recently lost and its impact on the Women’s Studies program.  I suggested to Nicole Anslover that she develop a course on American Women Diplomats and she thought it a good idea.  My next pitch is for Diana Chen-lin to work one up on Chinese Women’s Place over the Ages.

Paulette Lafata-Johnson called to say the IU Alumni Association will co-sponsor a December book signing at Lake Street Gallery and pay for refreshments.  I also worked with Raoul Contreras and Scott Fulk on involving Latino students in the Soup and Substance event with Sheriff Dominguez coming up on September 19.

Sam Barnett’s t-shirt illustrates the continuing war on public school teachers.  Due to Indiana governor Mitch Daniels draconian policies, there are just three non-charter public high schools, Wallace, Wirt-Emerson, and West Side, left in Gary.  The Chicago teachers union gave a ten-day strike notice and there’s so sign the other side is interested in compromising.  The last Windy City school strike, 25 years ago, lasted 19 days.
        Mayor Freeman-Wilson greets Prince and Paris Jackson, NWI Times photo by Jonathan Miano
Michael Jackson’s three kids joined festivities at their dad’s boyhood home on what would have been the King of Pop’s fifty-fourth birthday.  There was also a special exhibit in Miller at the Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts.

In our season opener the Electrical Engineers won 5 of 7 points thanks to David “Duke” Kaminski’s 639 series.  I had many splits and finished 4 pins below my average.  Two people mentioned my appearing on Jerry Davich’s radio show.  Thanks to new “no smoking” legislation I did not come home reeking of cigarettes.  Chris Lugo, whose granddaughter Angel came to Cressmoor Lanes when a pre-schooler, reports that she is in twelfth grade and was offered a softball scholarship.

Country singer Danika Holmes sang at the Thrill of the Grill, outside in perfect weather.  She was quite soulful and African Americans in the audience seemed to dig her.  I purchased her CD ‘”Living Your Dream,” which has the outstanding song “How to Be Beautiful,” which contains the line, “Find the good in life, let your words be kind.”  A lyric in the title song goes, “May you have a strong foundation when the winds of changes shift.”

On this date 70 years ago humorist Will Rogers wrote, “California always did have one custom that they took seriously.  Everything big enough to spread a double mattress on is called a ‘ranch.’  Well, up here in these mountains where there is lots of fishing, well every house you pass they sell fishing worms, and it’s called a ‘worm ranch.’  Well, I always did want to own a “ranch,” so I am in the market for a good worm ranch.”

No comments:

Post a Comment