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Has anyone seen the commercial for Gatorade's new Propel "Fitness Water"? It's a really cool commercial, but do we really need "Fitness Water"?! I don't get it. Is it more watery than just "regular" water, or even spring water? Is it concentrated? Is it distilled from the sweat of professional athletes? I looked at a few reviews over at epinions and some people are impressed that this "water" only has 10 calories! ::blink:: Really, strange days.
For whatever reason, I had never had a chance to see Oliver Stone's, Natural Born Killers, until tonight. Whoa. Now some might begin to watch this movie and be immediately offended at the thoughtless, wanton, random, incessant violence. I on the other hand was offended by the jumbled edits, skewed camera angles, formats, lighting effects, psychedelic animations, and what not meant to tell me in no uncertain terms that this film is supposed to be an "art" film. I get it. Just like the film's over the top portrayal of a violence lapped up by the media and fed to a public who's craving to witness human misery and suffering just can't seem to be satiated. Both messages were sent with all of the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Still, a good movie making an important point. Oh and Tommy Lee Jones character was great! ...but I seem to be getting off track...
After I finished watching the movie I couldn't help but think of the media circus surrounding Operation Iraqi Freedom and I gotta admit I watched far more coverage than was probably healthy. And what was it that finally broke the spell of those embedded reporters warning that chemical and biological weapons attacks could come at any moment!? Why, it was news that what was left of a murdered woman and her baby son had washed ashore a beach near Modesto, California. And while Scott Peterson won't be as glorified as Mickey and Mallory were in Natural Born Killers, we will certainly be hearing plenty about him as the investigation, psychological exams, and trial, and made-for-tv movie, and so forth plays out.
Strange days.
Want to know a little more about the company I work for? There was an article in Sunday's Tennessean. The whole engineering gang was supposed to be pictured in the article, but sadly, it was cropped down to just a picture of the President, Bill Owen. Oh, well, plenty of pictures of me in the gallery.
Just a little note to let all my Layne family and friends know that I've finished (finally) entering all of the names and dates of all of the Laynes that I have documented. The total stands at 968 Laynes at this point. If you have any corrections or additions, I'd love to hear about them. There are still biographical notes and what not to finish up. I'll get to that eventually.
Last fall, our daughter Alexandria (Alex) started kindergarten at Cedar Grove Elementary in Smryna, TN. Of course, at first, we were apprehensive with all of the things a parent might be concerned with our first child beginning public school. Would she make friends? Enjoy school? Would her teacher be good with kids and instruct them well? Would Alex prove to be smarter than a brick? :) I needn't have worried Alex's teacher, Mrs. Anthony was a wonderful teacher and Alex was really enjoying school and is apparently many many times smarter than a brick. She looked forward to going to school and loved her classmates and especially her teacher.
About a month ago all of that changed. Mrs. Anthony's husband had a job offer he couldn't refuse in their hometown and Mrs. Anthony left. We worried about the effect this would have on her class, especially our little girl, of course. But we were hopeful that our worries would be unfounded again. Alex's new teacher is Mrs. Rogers. After her first day replacing Mrs. Anthony, I asked Alex what she thought of Mrs. Rogers. "She yells a lot", replied Alex. This furrowed my brow a bit, but I didn't think much of it. Hopefully just a reaction to a change of scenery. But, almost every day there-after Alex would come home telling us about Mrs. Rogers yelling. Alex began coming home "sick" about this time too. So now we're concerned. Alex no longer looks forward to going to school. My wife talked with some administrator a couple weeks back when picking up our daughter early because "her belly hurt". The administrator was concerned because she noticed that Alex had been going home "sick" a lot. Sue explained the situation to her and she promised that she'd have the principal look into it. Perhaps sit in on a class. To this point he hasn't and I've discovered that he has his own personal scandal brewing and is also trying to get promoted to superintendent or some such. And now this morning another parent has come to the school with a daughter who's symptoms are remarkably similar to Alex's and had a confrontation with Mrs. Rogers. Apparently it was a bit heated. Sue has also had conversations with other parents expressing concern.
All in all, not a good time to be a kid trying to lay the foundation for the rest of her education at Cedar Grove Elementary. I'm not sure how to proceed and try and get everything resolved. Hopefully things will get straightened out there soon. Of course, only another month and we can put kindergarten behind us and look forward to first grade. God, I hope Alex gets a good teacher... who's husband already has a great job.
No, this isn't about the Bush administration :) My Mom and, from the sound of it, my Aunt Niki, have recorded a CD of some gospel tunes. There were probably other relatives involved too. I'll have to ask Mom. Anyway, the music is quite good, but then again, I'm a bit biased. I've ripped the CD which is entitled "The Anointed Ones" and made the tracks available as mp3s below. She said that if you like, donations can be made to her, which she'll probably turn over to her church: Mt. Carmel Baptist near Signal Mountain, TN. But she'd love to hear from you if even if you can't make a donation and hopes that it will minister to people.
Send donations/thanks to:
Sandra Layne Del Valle
1649 E. Boy Scout Road
Hixson, TN 37343
Tracks from The Anointed Ones:
1. If He Hung The Moon - 4:36
2. Waiting By The Well - 3:41
3. Gloryroad - 3:26
4. I Bowed On My Knees - 6:13
5. God's Greates Gift - 3:47
6. I Wonder How Mary Felt - 3:32
7. There's a New Kid In Town - 3:55
8. Visions - 4:00
9. God's Broken Heart - 4:20
10. Above All - 4:17
I know I've taken pictures of my kids bathing when they were still babies and my wife would fret that someone would misconstrue something. Exactly the sort of thing that happened to a Peruvian couple who made the mistake of taking a picture of one thier children breast-feeding. They were charged with a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Their children have also been taken from them and while the charges have been dropped after the media began covering the story, their children have not yet been returned. Check out the discussion on kuro5hin.org and the original story from The Dallas Observer. Sad.
We discussed this at lunch today and among the comments were the assertion that the child services are structured in such a way that their progress is measured in the number of children that are removed from their families. This sounds like a reasonable assumption. Can someone back me up with facts though? Regardless, it's a sad situation.
I section hiked 1/4 of a mile of the Appalachian Trail on Wednesday leaving me with only 2167.75 miles to complete the entire trail. I saw several thru hikers at Newfound Gap in the Smokies and could not settle on an emotion towards these people: envy or pity. At first it was definitely envy as I talked to Wrong Way Brown and Sparky (I think these were the trail names they told me) and some other girl who's name I can't recall. They seemed to be having a blast (with the exception of a snowstorm a few nights back). And after answering all of my questions they hoisted their packs and strolled away down the trail towards Maine. What an incredible experience that must be... Later I decided I'd hike a little of the trail myself. This is when envy turned to pity. I am so out of shape. My calves hurt after just a couple hundred yards. And these people have been walking a month with 5 more months to go. I don't know if I could do it... Oh, but it would be awesome I bet.
There are lots of other pictures from the vacation in the gallery of Myrtle Beach and Cherokee, NC, and The Smokies, and this one of my boy, Aaron, who is a very peculiar little guy. I think this snapshot may rival the hardhat boy pushes baby doll in stroller pic and diaper bag turban for weirdest Aaron picture. Let me know what you think.
We made it home safe and sound. I have a bunch of email to go through and I've had some trouble with my PowerBook (this may have something to do with Alex dropping it twice over the past couple days) and I've had to reinstall my Mac OS X system, so I have a mess right now. I'll post again once I get situated.
Hello from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! We are arrived Friday night and tagged up with my sister, Carrie, and her husband, Robert who arrived a week earlier for, according to my Dad, some of the worst weather they've had here since they got the condo. The weather broke clear and beautiful Saturday morning as they left and we settled in, and it's been very nice ever since. Sorry guys, wish you could've had some of this. The kids have been having a great time swimming and playing on the beach, though Aaron is scared of the ocean and "the dolphins", which are the foamy crests of the waves as they roll over onto the shore. Alex is starting to develop a sniffle, but it hasn't affected her swimming schedule so far. Hopefully we'll still be able to drive through the Smokies on the way back and find a bear for her. I have had little time for reading or genealogy as I hoped I might, but no matter, I've been having a blast with the kids. I have also, lately, become a firm believer in the powers of sunscreen. The key word is lately. I'm very red. And, sadly I continue to be updated on the situation in Iraq. My Dad is far too interested for being on "vacation". Even worse is the Red Wings trouble in the playoffs! Hopefully things will change for the better tonight.
Which means it probably won't happen ;) This is an article found at Avweb.com. Avweb is a great source of information for aviators and aviation enthusiasts. They put out a very interesting newsletter every week too. Anyway here's the story and I think it's a wonderful idea. Hopefully it'll happen.
Candy Bomber Targets Baghdad
The children of Baghdad probably don't expect anything good to drop out of the sky on them these days but a retired Air Force colonel wants to change that. Col. Gail Halvorsen wants to reprise the 1948 flight over Berlin that earned him the nickname the Candy Bomber. Halvorsen gave the German kids something to look up to when he dropped gum and chocolate, suspended from handkerchief parachutes, from his Berlin Airlift transport. He's visited other war-torn regions after that and last made a drop of chocolate bars over Bosnia in 1994. He wants Baghdad to be next. "I'd give my right arm to do it," he told the Associated Press. Halvorsen has already been in touch with his friends in the Air Force to ask if he can make a candy drop. "I'm planning on how to do that when the dust clears," said Halvorsen, who's 82. Halvorsen didn't ask for permission in 1948 and it almost got him court-martialed. But he said he's glad he did it because it showed him how a simple act of kindness can overshadow the horrors of war. "They've been mistreated so long ..." he said. "The bottom line is it would lift their spirits." He said the candy drop would also be tangible evidence that the U.S. cares for the Iraqi people. "That makes all the difference in the world on attitude," he said.
Note to Iraqis: I watched the news today... as usual... I gotta tell you, I nearly changed my mind about this "war". Of course there are still no weapons of mass destruction, the original impetus for invading, but I'm very happy to see the Iraqis liberated. Really. I would have been happier if the Iraqis had had the will to stand up for themselves and stage their own revolution, but now the deed is done (or nearly so). American and British men and women have given their lives for your freedom, and sadly, so did far too many of your civilians. Hopefully the fighting is nearing an end and the reconciliation can begin. People on all sides have been hurt and some will hurt so badly that they will seek revenge. But enough blood has been spilled on both sides and we both need to work to make sure that cooler heads prevail. And as a portion of your freedom was paid for by the blood of our soldiers, it is your duty, if you value your freedom and honor the dead who purchased it, that you guard against any harm coming to those trying to lay the foundations for your new government. I hope we can all work towards finishing this conflict without any further death and destruction and our young men and women can come home to their families soon. Thomas Jefferson said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance". I hope that is truly taken to heart in Iraq and elsewhere around the world.
This morning I'm listening to/watching the news while getting ready for work as usual and I pause while the news droids deliver their various teasers for the upcoming spots. One in particular I enjoyed: "Sadaam Hussein may be dead... or alive this morning after coalition forces bombed..." the rest did not register. So, this morning's big news is that Sadaam's potential states of existance have been reduced to two. I'm curious what other options he might have enjoyed before this morning's bombings. Perhaps he was considering suspended animation and we destroyed the cryogenic facilities in Baghdad. I didn't have time to see if this was the case before it was time to leave, so if you know or have any ideas let me know.
For whatever reason Sue and I started talking about George Orwell's classic 1984. I haven't read it, but know the gist. Sue has neither read nor, does she really now the gist of 1984 but was really interested when I explained the premise. Since we are all going to Myrtle Beach this weekend, I thought maybe I'd run out and pick up a copy to read at the beach along with another book that I've been wanting read about Cherokee Indians and the Trail of Tears. So, off I went to Waldenbooks (You, however, should buy lots of books through the handy Amazon links on my main page).
While at the bookstore looking in the "Classic" section, I noticed George Orwell's Animal Farm next to 1984 and I decided to give it a look. After reading the back cover, it seemed like it might be relevant to the events occurring today. And so I decided to pick that up too.
Now, I know Animal Farm is supposed to be a allegory of the communist Soviet Union, but whenever Squealer or Napoleon would rationalize some new restriction with "You don't want farmer Jones back do you?" I couldn't help but think of the restrictions imposed since 9/11 in the name of warding off another terrorist attack. If you've read Animal Farm you know that in the end Animalism ends up being worse than the oppression it was meant to replace. Animal Farm is a very good read and coming in at a just over a hundred pages is easy to read in an afternoon or two. And though the Soviet Union is gone, there are still many important lessons that are more than applicable to today's environment.
For a long time I stopped watching or reading any political news because it depressed me so. But a started again recently mostly becasue you can't really get away from it. And outside of the war (I'm pretty sure you all realize that I'm not too keen about it), there have been two recent developments that I just have to shake my head at.
First we have this new bill introduced in Oregon that would jail protestors as terrorists for at least 25 years! The mind boggles. Come on guys, free speech is the foundation of our country. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree. Ugh! Disgusting.
Next up, is the story of Mike Hawash a programmer for Intel arrested, well actually, detained, as he arrived for work on March 20 by FBI agents carrying assault rifles and wearing bulletproof vests. He's being held in solitary confinement with limited access to his wife and lawyer. Mr. Hawash isn't alone, there are dozens more detainees with similiar stories. And of course there is Jose Padilla who has been held under even tighter conditions for a year now. Now Jose is a bad dude that probably needs to be locked up, but as an American he should still get his day in court. Anyway, there is additional commentary on Mike Hawash on Slashdot, Warblogging, and Wired.
I didn'tget a chance to experience McCarthyism back in it's day, but I imagine those days we similar to these.
What a strange day. As you can see, Alexandria lost her first tooth yesterday and it was probably the only thing that keep me from knocking one of her teeth out (I exaggerate, please don't call the DHS on me). You see, I left work a little early and went home to mow me lawn. While I was mowing Alex had something happen to her foot. She was crying on the front steps and I told her to go see her Momma who was across the street at the time. I was watching her and she did not stop to look both ways before crossing the street. For a moment I was mildly annoyed. That is until I looked up and saw a truck approaching at which point I began shrieking, yes actually shrieking her name. I had no idea my voice was capable of such pitch or volume. Alexandria did not hear me. My wife, across the street, inside the house, did! Fortunately the driver of the truck saw her. And somehow I did not collapse or have a heart attack.
Let me take a moment to explain something to the drivers on Vincent Lane. Please please please be very careful. There are little kids that play on our street and for that matter every little suburban street in America and they don't pay attention. And that's bad, I know. But the thing is, if the driver of that truck has not been paying attention or had been driving really fast like a lot of people do on that street then something awful could have happened. And if it did, no matter who was at fault I would hunt the driver down and beat him/her into something unrecognizable with a baseball bat. I know, I know that's awful. But it's reality. If you hurt my baby girl you will suffer.... badly. I'm sure many other Dad's out there can sympathize. Anyway, you've been warned.
Now, then back to Alex. As I finished mowing the lawn, I considered the appropriate punishment. Really a good ole fashioned whoopn' was all that came to mind. A good talking to didn't seem that it would convey the gravity of her mistake. It was at this time that her tooth decided to spontaneously loosen in what I'm convinced was some sort of psychic self defense mechanism. It worked. We were all so excited about the silly tooth that she only received a stern talking to after all. Before the night was over, her tooth came out. Of course she wouldn't leave the thing alone, but it seems to me that it always took me longer to yank a loose tooth.
The tooth fairy left her two shiny "gold quarters" according to Alex. She was later informed that the "gold quarters" are in fact worth a dollar. Alex is beaming both from the "gold quarters" and the gap in her teeth. Just don't call her snaggletooth :) OBTW, there are more pics in the gallery
Where are all of the chemical and biological weapons!? God forbid that they actually use them, but the primary justification for the war... oops sorry, not a war technically as only Congress can declare one of those, I'll call it the Mother Of All Tempter Tantrums. MOATT... I like that. Anyway, the original justification for the MOATT was that Iraq has chemical and biological weapons that they are ready to unleash upon the world and we must go in there and force them to disarm. Now if Iraq has all these weapons, why when they are actually fighting for their survival would they not use them? If it's because international support for Iraq would be affected, then what makes anyone think they would have used them when they weren't at war? Where is the threat?
I guess all that's academic now. We've stuck our foot in it and there is now way this administration will ever admit that it was misguided no matter how high the bodies pile up. Haven't we been through this once before?
Where are all newly liberated Iraqis throwing rose petals, or whatever it is they throw over there, at the young men and women risking their lives to liberate them. If one more person tells me something to the effect that they are too scared to rise up against Sadaam for fear of being killed I'm going to scream. Our troops are risking life and limb, why can't they? It's supposedly their freedom we are fighting and dying for.
Every day I read another story about the bombing in Baghdad that contains the phrase "some of the heaviest bombing yet". Shouldn't we have started out with the heavy bombing first? Would that have been too Shocking and Awesome? Perhaps the MOATT planners were confused and decided to treat this like a fireworks display. Wait until you see the finale dude!
I tried explaining to a friend the other day that the reason that we're all gung-ho about the MOATT is that people are too disconnected. These are images on television a world away. Joe six-pack, I think, is just excited to see us blowing stuff up. Missles, tanks, bombs, laser-guided, GPS guided, M1A1, B2, etc, etc, all cool stuff. It's like James Bond meets Patton. Of course it's cool. But Joe six-pack can't see or won't allow himself to see the men, women and children that are being killed. Their lives mean as much to the average American as a bug. I have family, who are probably not in a very small minority, that truly believe we should just nuke the whole lot of them and get it over with. Think these people give a shit whether the innocent are killed with the guilty? Nah, they are a nuisance, like the ants that come visit my kitchen every spring. Kill em all and let God sort em out is not an uncommon attitude here in the good ole USA.
Anyone every heard this one? "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." -- Proverbs 16:18
OK OK one more thing and I'll shutup for a while, I'm not seeing a lot of these pictures on TV. Some of these pictures are very very very graphic. You've been warned. Take a good long look if you can. This is making friends?
A lot of newcomers to the Ancestor Top 10 this month (I am still not among them though. Rats!). And a surprise number one. Read on...
Based on the number of requests for a person's main page (getperson.php) the top ten ancestors for March 2003 follow:
10. [-] Carrie Lee Hamilton - Carrie!? Cool. Carrie is my first cousin. Denise and Charlie's baby girl.
9. [+1] Hazel Anna Tate - My maternal grandmother. She was born in Beersheba Springs, Grundy Co., TN in 1913.
9. [-] Sarah Lockhart - ggg-grandmother. Sally was born in South Carolina and found her way to middle Tennesse in the early 19th century where she married Robert H Tate.
7. [+2] Rachel Nunley - Jesse's wife. Rachel died in 1874 and is buried in Philadelphia Cemetery in Tarlton, Grundy Co., TN.
6. [-] James Tate - gggg-grandfather. "The Major", James, moved to the Warren County area of TN around 1800 from VA and was very influential in the area.
5. [-] Jacob Fleser - My ggg-grandfather. One of the four Fleser (Flš§er) brothers that immigrated from Germany in the mid 19th century.
4. [-] Robert Hoodenpyle - ggggg-uncle and father of EIGHTEEN children! It's no wonder there are descendents looking for this guy.
3. [-] Carrie Hadley Coppinger - My Great-grandmother. She was born and lived her whole life in Beersheba Springs, TN. A mid-wife, Carrie delivered many, many Grundy County babies in her day.
2. [-] Christina Miller - My ggg-gradmother. Christina was born in Germany and moved to Allegan County, MI sometime around 1850.
And the new number one most requested ancestor for the month of March is...
1. [-] Lorenzo Tate!? - Lorenzo, born in the mid 19th century, is my 2nd cousin 4 times removed. I have no idea why he's suddenly popular. Probably being confused with someone in the news lately. Can anyone shed some light on this?