Darwin Award Nominees, another ongoing series

Thu   6 Dec 2007   11:43 by Kevin McGehee 48° and partly cloudy in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Our Times] [Here's Your Sign]

A pedestrian apparently absorbed in a cell phone call was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in San Leandro today after he walked around a lowered crossing gate and onto the tracks, authorities said. [...] Crew members aboard the Sacramento-bound train told authorities they saw the victim talking on the cell phone before he was struck, Graham said. The warning lights and gates at the crossing were functioning properly, she added. » Man talking on cell phone killed by train in San Leandro I’m sad for his family and friends—especially for whoever he was on the phone with—but, seriously…

That’s Crazy Talk!

Fri   30 Nov 2007   15:26 by Kevin McGehee 61° and mostly cloudy in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Our Times]

Gallup: PRINCETON, NJ—Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats or independents to rate their mental health as excellent, according to data from the last four November Gallup Health and Healthcare polls. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans report having excellent mental health, compared to 43% of independents and 38% of Democrats. This relationship between party identification and reports of excellent mental health persists even within categories of income, age, gender, church attendance, and education. [...] One could be quick to assume that these differences are based on the underlying demographic and socioeconomic patterns related to party identification in America today. A recent Gallup report (see “Strong Relationship Between Income and Mental Health” in Related Items) reviewed these mental health data more generally, and found that men, those with higher incomes, those with higher education levels, and whites are more likely than others to report excellent mental health. Some of these patterns describe characteristics of Republicans, of course. But an analysis of the relationship between party identification and self-reported excellent mental health within various categories of age, gender, church attendance, income, education, and other variables shows that the basic pattern persists regardless of these characteristics. In other words, party identification appears to have an independent effect on mental health even when each of these is controlled for. » Republicans Report Much Better Mental Health Than Others Of course, those who made such an effort in the recent past to characterize conservatism as a form of insanity, will be unmoved. The best sign of how valid and accurate these results are, though, will be how quickly Gallup comes under attack as a right-wing propaganda outlet. You know, like CNN.

To Be Thankful

Thu   22 Nov 2007   9:45 by Kevin McGehee 52° and mostly cloudy in Chattanooga, TN 0 comments [Our Times]

It’s conventional these days to turn one’s thoughts on Thanksgiving toward the blessings in one’s own life—which tend to focus, as they might in these times, on family, health, and whatever degree of prosperity one happens to enjoy. Not all that long ago it was also conventional to remember the story of the original Thanksgiving, and how the Pilgrims feasted to celebrate their good fortune in surviving a year in the New World and to give thanks to God for it. In many cases the celebrants had left family behind in England, or lost them to disease during the previous year in America. Some had been so weakened by sickness they would never fully recover no matter how much longer they lived. Under those circumstances, prosperity had a slightly different definition than we know today. And one of the components of that prosperity was the freedom to practice their chosen faith without state interference—the reason they had left England in the first place. It’s ironic that the popular image of this holiday is one of the most conformist… Once, a co-worker of mine had gone on a hunting trip to Colorado and given me some cuts of venison and elk. I microwaved them for Thanksgiving that year, and I don’t remember what else I had with it. Maybe salad from a bag. As I recall, one of the things I was thankful for as I chomped on the free meat, was strong teeth. Since getting married, of course, the quality of my holiday feasts has improved considerably—although when we lived in Alaska, thousands of miles from family and with Chris often having to work odd shifts just before or even on the day, we also improvised. Including the year we discovered that the Moose lodge we belonged to (still do, eight years after moving away) was going to serve Thanksgiving dinner. That was undoubtedly the best-enjoyed Thanksgiving we spent in Alaska. Free to celebrate our holiday differently, nearly all of us choose to celebrate it in a traditional way. Thankfully, I guess there’s hope for us after all. Happy Thanksgiving.

Neither Is ‘Greaser’

Fri   16 Nov 2007   20:58 by Kevin McGehee 32° and clear in Coweta County, GA 4 comments [Our Times]

I used to enjoy watching the “Sha-Na-Na” TV show, remember that? It started with a woman’s voice calling, “Hey, all you greasers! It’s time for Sha-Na-Na!“ A Casa Furniture and Bedding store in Alexandria has been advertising easy credit with a twist: “no gringo papers” necessary. A sign outside the store at the intersection of North Beauregard and King streets reads, “Credito sin papeles de gringo.“ In English, that could be translated to say “Credit without gringo papers.“ [...] The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word gringo as “a disparaging term for a foreigner in Latin America, especially an American or English person.“ But the word “gringo” in the store’s sign is not intended to offend anyone, Miss Granados said. [...] Michael Barrera, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said he was aware of the sign but said the way “gringo” was used is not necessarily an insult. “I think it’s more for marketing,“ he said. “Gringo is not always a pejorative term.“ » Retailer denies sign is a slur And now we have it direct from Mr. Barrera, that if a word isn’t always “a pejorative term,“ people shouldn’t get upset about it.

Conservatives, a Word of Advice from Jack Bauer’s Creator:
Tue   13 Nov 2007   8:16 by Kevin McGehee 39° and fair in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Our Times] [Yee-haw!]	“Our job is not to whine, that’s their job,“ Surnow said. “Our job is to succeed despite the adversity.“ » Jack Bauer’s Creator Speaks Damn straight.

Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mis Amigos

Tue   13 Nov 2007   8:03 by Kevin McGehee 35° and sunny in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Our Times] [Yee-haw!]

MADRID—Spaniards rallied behind King Juan Carlos yesterday, with citizens and even the left-leaning governing party saying the king was right to tell Hugo Chavez to “shut up” at a weekend summit. The king’s remark, prompted when the Venezuelan president insulted Spain’s conservative former prime minister, was discussed by bloggers, laughed about in the streets and even turned into a joke competition by one Web site. Juan Carlos’ five-word message to Mr. Chavez—translated from Spanish as “Why don’t you shut up?“—has been posted on YouTube and already is in wide use as a ring tone for cell phones, according to the El Pais newspaper. Someone even turned the Spanish phrase into an Internet domain name at porquenotecallas.com » Spain echoes king’s quip <evil, maniacal cackle>

More Traffic for Me

Tue   13 Nov 2007   7:40 by Kevin McGehee 36° and sunny in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Our Times]

Entertainment bloggers are “walking out” in solidarity with Hollywood writers. I watch television—TiVo has made it possible for me to watch shows I enjoy without having to drop what I’m doing at whatever god-awful moment some network programmer has decided to put it on the air. And some of the shows I watch are even written. That said, very little of the really good television that I watch is being written right now. Or would be, even if not for the writers’ strike. When I look at the “to do” list on our TiVo, there’s a lot of shows that aren’t appearing on the schedule at all because they run for a few weeks and then go on hiatus or into reruns of episodes we’ve just seen recently—with the occasional marathon that generally only includes the season just past. I very rarely can get “into” re-reading a book less than five years after I’ve read it previously—watching a TV episode just a few weeks after I’ve already seen it? (And don’t even get me started on the TV episodes that turn up in slightly adapted form on several different shows.) And there are shows I won’t watch even in first-run, whose writers in my opinion shouldn’t get paid to write the ingredients on a cereal box. I’m not getting paid to write at all, and I still do it. So, if you’re bereft of reading material because some bloggers are going “on strike” in sympathy with the Writers’ Guild of America, come to The McGehee Zone—always more interesting than the ingredients on your cereal box.

Spinners on a Saturn
Fri   9 Nov 2007   11:51 by Kevin McGehee 62° and sunny in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Our Times]	Yes, I have actually seen a Saturn with spinner wheel covers. I’d say it’s a sure sign those things are going out of style, but it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen spinners so maybe it’s a sign they’re already out of style.

Are the Media Doing at Home What They’ve Been Doing in Iraq?

Wed   7 Nov 2007   7:23 by Kevin McGehee 31° and sunny in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Our Times] [Get Offa My Lawn!]

Silly question. In the end, backers of a cigarette tax increase for children’s health couldn’t assuage voters’ worries about monkeying with the state constitution—an issue stoked by a record-shattering $12 million TV blitz financed by the tobacco industry. The result was a shellacking of Measure 50—voters trounced it by a 60 percent to 40 percent margin in Tuesday’s special election—and a stinging setback for backers of the effort to extend health care to 100,000 uninsured Oregonians. » Ore. cigarette tax rejected after spendy TV campaign Oregonians rejecting expanded government? Next you’ll tell me they also rejected same-sex marriage! The New Jersey measure had been one of the nation’s most ambitious public efforts to fund stem cell research. Multimillionaire Gov. Jon Corzine campaigned heavily for the measure and spent $200,000 of his own money on TV ads for it. He argued the funding would help find cures for conditions such as spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, sickle cell anemia and multiple sclerosis while also luring leading scientists and research firms to the state. But the measure was opposed by anti-abortion activists, conservatives and the Roman Catholic Church because it would pay for research that destroys human embryos and would increase state debt. “It’s a reinforcement of our values and a rebuke to the governor,“ said Steve Lonegan, a conservative Republican who led opposition to the question. “The taxpayers are saying enough is enough.“ » N.J. Rejects $450M Stem Cell Proposal New Jersey taxpayers calling a halt to the expansion of their burden? When has that ever happened? Voters oppose driver’s licenses for illegal aliens by a nearly five-to-one margin, a new Fox 5/Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll finds. As immigration politics explode into the presidential race, polls show Americans are taking a hard line on benefits for illegal aliens, including opposing driver’s licenses and such taxpayer-funded benefits as scholarships at state colleges for illegal-alien students. The new poll found 77 percent of the adults surveyed opposed making driver’s licenses available to illegal aliens, while just 16 percent supported the idea. » Poll: 77% oppose illegals’ licenses Why, you’d almost think all that talk we’ve been hearing since the 2006 campaign, about how the American electorate is more liberal than Republicans had assumed, was nothing but a lot of guff. Say, you don’t suppose it’s possible the real reason—issue-wise, at least—that the GOP got in trouble, was they were acting more liberal than the American electorate was willing to put up with? Yeah, right. Next you’ll tell me the surge in Iraq is working. And that’s just crazy talk.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Mon   5 Nov 2007   10:35 by Kevin McGehee 60° and fair in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Our Times]

...NOT. Can anyone tell me what’s missing from this article? Anyone? Bueller? A berry patch near Loganville is under contract by a local developer who wants to turn the old strawberry field into retail and office buildings. Crown Point Properties will go before the Municipal Gwinnett County Planning Commission at 7 p.m. Tuesday to request a zoning change to build the 94,200-square-foot complex outside the city of Loganville. The 10-acre parcel is part of some popular strawberry fields. Though the land is largely rural, the current zoning would allow mobile homes on the property. A spokesman for the developer said the zoning change is an opportunity for neighbors to attract development that could increase property values. “It’s progress,“ said Doug Stacks, a land-planning consultant for Crown Point Properties. “I think it’s an exciting opportunity for the homeowners to get rid of that [mobile home] zoning and ... have a say about what they would like to see in their neighborhood.“ On the other hand, some neighbors say they would rather see strawberry plants rising from the ground than a building. Thousands of people come to the area to pick the fruit at Washington Farms. » Plan to build over berry fields draws fire Washington Farms owns the strawberry fields. The planned development would build on the land occupied by the strawberry fields. Ergo, the planned development would build on the land owned by Washington Farms. I looked through the entire article and didn’t see any sign that the owners of Washington Farms are being forced to allow the planned development to build on their strawberry fields. In fact it sounds more like the farm’s neighbors want to force the owners of Washington Farms to keep growing strawberries on their strawberry fields. Forever. Update, 29 November: Rezoning denied.

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