Marathon Update

it never ends

Dinner and Lunch

chaosandordergowelltogether
These two images are known as Dinner and Lunch.
Dinner is an offshoot of another mandala based image. When I finished the first image, I thought about having a ring of chevrons chasing each other. After several tries at drawing this, it came together, and the details started to work themselves out.
About this time, there was another image I was working on during my lunch hour. It involved using the round interlocking tiles, but with a second box inside the first box. The second box would have its flat side on the inside of the box, instead of the outside as I had been doing. It took a while to get this to work, which was fine. This was something to play with at lunch, and the more time it ate up the better. Finally, this image started to work, and one day I added some lines to form random shapes around the boxes. This image was appealing, and I decided to email it home and develop it. This image would be known as Lunch, because of where it came. The other image became known as dinner, because it was not breakfast.
I decide to produce these two images at the same time. This took a few weeks, but one day it was done.
Both are 13”x17”, and should be viewed while lit from behind.

Letter to Neal Boortz

theliesmakeyouevenmadder
It is grossout confession time. I listen to Neal Boortz. I have not wrecked the truck yet. The closest I came to that was when Mike Vick said he had found Jesus during his post indictment press conference.
Mrs. Boortz has a project going. She is going to Walter Reed Hospital soon, and is going to be giving gift cards to the wounded vets there. (If you want to send a gift card, here is the address:
Walter Reed Project
c/o Neal Boortz
WSB Radio
1601 W. Peachtree Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30309)
There were gift cards that I never got around to using, so I decided to send them down to White Columns. And, I wrote a little letter:



The person who reads the mail/Mr. Boortz:

These are some gift cards I have. I don’t like to use them, and giving them to a wounded veteran is a good idea.
I am one of the “Liberals” that you have made lots of money denouncing. I should ask for a cut.
The war in Iraq is a disaster. I think you know this, even if you are paid to say otherwise. I don’t believe the happy talk about “the surge is working, we are winning”. This talk is part of the strategy.

I would like to ask a few favors of Mr. Boortz.
Answer your e mail. All you need to do is send an automated message that your received it, and thanks for listening to the show. Of course, If you want to reply to the substance of the message, that is fine too.
Come clean about your military record. I see no mention on your website biography about exactly why you did not go to ‘Nam. Being an assistant jewelry buyer at Rich’s, and working at RING radio, while rough experiences, are not quite the same. (Of course, If you ate at the Burger Chef in front of WRNG, you are tough. I did phone soliciting in that complex.) Back to the draft…you are a tireless promoter of the current war, and are trying to start more in Iran , Pakistan,and Buford Dam. When it was your turn to fight, you did not. If it was a medical condition that kept you from the draft, you seem to have made a remarkable recovery.Playing hockey, running half marathons, and climbing mountains are not things that disqualify you from active duty.
Be nice to Belinda. She is the best thing about that show.
Repeat as often as possible the disclaimer about not believing what you hear on the show. That is the one part of your show I do believe.
Be glad you are on opposite Laura Ingraham and Glenn Beck. Compared to those two you are downright reasonable.
Visit my blog from time to time. While you get lots of play out of trashing “liberals”, I get my revenge by writing about it. Blogs are talk radio without the busy signal. The address is http://www.chamblee54.blogspot.com/.

All kidding aside, the job your wife is doing for wounded vets is commendable. And my radio has an off button, so it is my fault if I listen.
Cam Mckinnon/chamblee54
Spell check suggestions for this feature:
Belinda-blinder, blind, blend, blender, bellied, belied
grossout- grossest, grout
nam-am, name, Naomi, nab, nag, nah, nap, nat, nay

Atlanta Marathon

Redacted

Youputyourrightfootinyouput
I was listening to the radio whiners today, and they were doing publicity for a movie called "Redacted".
Until today, I knew very little about it. It is about the rape/murder of a young girl in Iraq by a crew of American troops. This is a sorry episode, but the sort of thing you can expect in a war. I am surprised we have not had more stories like this. When the My Lai affair came to light and Lt. Calley was court martialled, a frequently quoted defense was "this happens all the time".
A prominent radio whiner named Michael Medved doubles as a movie critic. His opinion of "Redacted" was liberally quoted today, and through the miracle of internet copy paste it is available for my use.
For the record, Mr. Medved was draft age during Vietnam. To quote his biography "Medved enrolled in Yale Law School after winning a generous fellowship, while teaching 7th and 8th grade three hours a day to earn an "occupational deferment" with the Vietnam era Selective Service System."
Backted to "Redacted". Mr. Medved has evolved into a self proclaimed conservative, and a supporter of the War in Babylon. He did not appreciate "Redacted". This is his right as a pundit/critic, although in the legal system this conflict of interests would cause him to excuse himself. Where Mr. Medved goes too far is with this comment:" Nowhere does DePalma indicate that the chief victims of the so-called insurgents aren’t US forces, but Iraqi civilians. All reputable sources show Iraqi terrorists taking the lives of far more of their countrymen then American troops have claimed, and there’s no sane basis to expect that this murderous rampage will magically cease once our soldiers come home. The idea that the US remains in Iraq in order to torment and dominate Iraqis – rather than to protect innocent civilians from the monstrous cruelty of Islamo-Nazi killers – remains one of the big lies of the anti-war movement."
Huh? Holy rhetoric Batman. If it weren’t for the American invasion, would there be insurgents? Or, for that matter, foreign fighters aka Al Queda? Maybe these fighters are offing more Iraqi Civilians than Americans. That doesn't justify the rape/murder of a teen age girl by American forces.
The Iraqi people, who are fighting back, also note this brutality by Al Queda. This is the one part of the much vaunted surge success that I can believe, that Al Queda has gone too far. The simple truth remains that the primary reason these fighters are in Iraq is to fight Americans...if there had not been an invasion, these fighters would be somewhere else.
I have no plans to see "Redacted", despite all the lovely publicity from the wingnut fringe. Of course, if this post makes someone want to see the movie...
Spell check suggestions for this feature:
Lai-Al, La, Lao, lay, laid,lab, lad, lag, lap, law,
Calley- called, caller, caleb, alley, galley, valley
martialled-marital, marmalade
Medved- meddled
DePalma- deplane, diploma
wingnut- WinNT

Turkey Day Aftermath

tistheseasontobejolly
With Turkey Day next week, the Christmas season is in full swing. And so is the whining about the "War on Christmas".
Growing up, Christmas was great. The gift giving, the parties, the good cheer was great. There was a strong Christian element to it, but it was easy to ignore in the merriment. Sad to say, those days are over.
Some are not happy that Christmas is partially about the "Birth of Jesus". There is a reason for the quotes, but we will get there in a minute. No, the noise machines want it to be ALL about Jesus, which has never been the case.
True, the lawsuit happy secular crowd has a part in this. Municipal displays of Jesus Whoopee are easy to ignore, but some want them eliminated. And now the Jesus Only crowd is fighting back, and those who just want to enjoy the holidays are caught in the crossfire.
But is it really the Birthday of Jesus? There is one chance in 365 that it is. The scholars say that Jesus was most likely born in the spring. Now look at the time of our celebration...three days after the winter solstice. The solstice was a time of pagan celebrations in Rome, and the holiday was used as a festival for the "Birth of Jesus". The end of the year, a time when the year’s growth is at a low point, but ready to come back in the spring. One could even say that the spring celebration of Easter is about this renewal.
And, if we know the exact day Jesus was born on, why is Easter a different day every year?
Did Joseph think it was his kid?
Lets bring back Christmas like it used to be. If the Jesus Worshippers want to scream about their buddy, they can. If others want to shop and eat, they can. Let there be peace on earth and good will towards men.



maybethiswillshutsomeoneup
The news from Iran is that Makwan Moloudzadeh will not be executed.
This is good news on the surface. I still suspect there is more to this that we don't know. I certainly hope that Mr. Moloudzadeh is not abducted by an anonymous death squad, rather than a public execution.
Now, as to "don't you look foolish right about now." No, I don't. I have written extensively about this, and have shed what light I can on the subject. Of course, the person who made this statement doesn't read this blog.
I would prefer to look foolish and have one less victim to homophobic capital punishment, if that is the choice. Foolishness in the blogosphere is in ample supply.

less intelligent than a young goat

baaaaaaaaabaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Iranian fashion icon Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has done it again.
Speaking of those who disagree with him, he opined
”The whole world has been created for that holy day to occur [the Islamic Armageddon]. The day in which all the prophets and martyrs and good people will arrive and will help. Some people ridicule this. They have no faith in their hearts. These are modern idolaters and devil worshipers. They pretend to be intellectuals but are in fact less intelligent than a young goat.”
On a lighter note, Barry Bonds was indicted for perjury. Now, lying under oath is not a good idea, but why on earth was a federal grand jury investigating steroids in sports?
This reminds me of the trouble our future first philanderer got in a few years ago. Now, lying about having an affair was not socially acceptable, but why was a grand jury investigating that? It just makes you wonder why Hillary wants the job now.

Governor Sonny prays for Rain

blesshishearthemeanswell
Governor Sonny had a Jesus party on the capital steps to pray for rain. On the surface this is not so terrible. But then, the surface of Lake Lanier is 20 feet below normal.
Governor Sonny was elected on a promise to have a referendum on the state flag. That is putting the dumb back in referendum. He was appealing to Georgia Voters.
The state flag has been a hot issue here since about 1993, when Governor Zigzag listened to somebody and decided to start pushing for a change. This is a complicated issue, with a lot of pros and cons, not to mention prose and poets. If prozac had been invented...oops it was. Anywaste, I fully intend to write a post someday about the State Flag, and no one will read it.
Of course, the Lesterslature could have built some reservoirs while it was debating the flag. Then we would have a bit more water to waste while we are praying. But, as Rhett Butler might have said, Frankly my dear, I don’t give a reservoir.
Those attempts at spelling reservoir are going to be fun to correct. Just remember that reservoir comes from reserve. If only the Lesterslature had known that.
Back to the state flag. As everyone knows, it was changed in 1956 as a gesture to let Alabama know that we were going to keep all the water from the Chattahoochee. Their nuclear power plant can just melt down and go to China for all we care.
With this in mind, can anyone blame the Lesterslature for not seeking additional sources of water? After all, they were debating something of unspeakable importance, like the state flag.
We could have sold advertising on the state flag.
Of course, being the politician that he is, Governor Sonny didn't put the 1956 on the ballot when he had the referendum. You knew I was a scorpion when you gave me a ride.
Last year, a state court threw out a ban on gay marriage. Something about being in violation of the rest of the constitution, but a few of us suspected that the Lesterslature passed a flawed bill intentionally. That way, the courts could throw it out, and the Lesterslature could grandstand on gay marriage one more time, and decry activist courts to boot. A win win situation, until the Supreme Court upheld the ban on gay marriage.
Governor Sonny spoke up, and promised a special session of the Lesterslature to pass a new ban on gay marriage, if the old one was indeed unconstitutional.
While the Lesterslature was defending the institution of marriage (like Groucho Marx said, We are defending her honor, which is more than she ever did), they had a chance to put some limits on development. Now, development is the true religion of Georgia, and this is a devout state. Never mind that whenever you replace a forest that never needs watering with a subdivision full of commodes and landscaping, you increase the need for municipal water. Perhaps if our elected officials had put a few limits on runaway construction, we would have a bit more water now. And the developers would still give them campaign contributions, because they are such wise leaders.
Maybe Governor Sonny should pray for forgiveness. But then, you can't flush a commode with forgiveness.

Spell check suggestions for this feature-
prozac- prosaic
Rhett- ret, rest, whet, reheat, ghetto, brett, rent, retch, hat, heft
Groucho- grouch, grouchy

Rate the Readability of your Blog

ithoughtitwasmiddleschool

Ok, I am throwing out the Veterans Day post I worked on at lunch. Or maybe not.
I did see something amusing at The Field Negro. FN is a regular stop, and he usually makes for fun reading. I just wish he would quit saying A merry CA when he means Amerika.
So, he posted a site that will rate the readability of your blog. I don't know how this works, but FN is a graduate college student level.
Chamblee 54 is JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. Maybe it is the text to pictures ratio, which is high at my site.


Veteran's Day is a bad day for a cynic.
On the one hand, I do appreciate living in The United States. With all its flaws, I have had a good life here, and the role that Veterans have played is to be honored.
On the other hand, politicians who deftly avoided the unpleasant reality of service often exploit Veterans for political mojo.
Veterans are often not treated well after they are through with their service. It is estimated that a quarter of the homeless are veterans. The services offered to wounded veterans returning from War is often lacking.
When I typed the second sentence, I thought of my great grandfather. He served with the Georgia State Troops in the War Between the States. I do prefer the USA to the CSA ( or whatever would have happened). Yet, the Union army had to prevail over the various Confederate Armies for this to happen. Do I dishonor my great grandfather by saying I am happy the other side won?
Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day. This was the day, 90 years ago, when the War to End All Wars ended.
World War I was a ghastly bloodbath, in which Millions died. It created many of the problems that plague us today. And I would be willing to bet that not one person in ten thousand today knows what it was about.
And yet, the men who fought in that conflict ( I don't think they had women soldiers then) deserve the same gratitude as those who fought in any other conflict.
The soldier...many of whom were drafted...doesn't get to choose which war to fight in. The sacrifice of the World War II soldier was just as great as the Vietnam fighter, but the appreciation given was much greater.
I grew up during Vietnam, and saw the national mood go from patriotic fight to dismayed resistance. By the time I was old enough to get drafted, the Paris accords had been signed. For better or worse, there went my chance.


Norman Mailer passed away the other day. His old sparring partner Gore Vidal said “Yet of all my contemporaries I retain the greatest affection for Norman as a force and as an artist. He is a man whose faults, though many, add to rather than subtract from the sum of his natural achievements." The World War II generation is leaving us at a rapid pace. Time is doing what Hitler could not do.

Eight things about Seven

sevenisaluckynumber
seven deadly sins- lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride
seven holy virtues- chastity, abstinence, temperance, diligence, patience, kindness
seven goddesses- isis, astarte, hecate, demeter, kali, iana, diana
seven dwarfs- bashful, doc, dopey, grumpy, happy, sleepy, sneezy



sevenisaprimenumber

seven brides- Alice, Dorcas, Liza, Martha, Millie, Sarah, Ruth
seven brothers- Adam, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frank, Gideon
seven husbands of Elizabeth Taylor- Nicky Hilton, Micheal Wilding, Micheal Todd, Eddie Fisher, Richard Burton(twice), John Warner, Larry Fortensky (The American Film Institute named Taylor seventh among the Greatest Female Stars of All Time.)
Luke 17:4-If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him.

blogworld or bust

boothsnowavailablenexttotheslotmachines
Man, I am missing out.
Today is the first day of the Blogworld and New media expo at the Las Vegas convention ctr. The slogan is "be more influential be more effective be more connected be more at blogworld."
Now, the average corner in the hood has more followers than my blog. But I don’t let that inconvenient truth get in the way.
In other news, Iran is holding a French filmmaker in jail. She found some mass graves. There is also a picture circulating of Mahmoud Ahmadinejah in a meeting with Ayatollah Khomeni. And you wondered how he learned to be such a snappy dresser.
Back to blogworld. Today there will be a panel discussion on "Raising the level of discourse in the political blogosphere" Gee, I thought you could do that by talking to a snake. One of the panel peeps will be Michael Medved. He is a radio whiner I listen to while making a semi honest living on the lawless streets of mayretta.
Lots of folks are saying that the surge is working in Babylon. As soon as this is said, there is usually a complaint about the media not reporting the "good news". This is a tipoff that what is being said is less/more than the truth.
There is an old saying...in war, the first casualty is truth. The lies started before the initial invasion, and have not stopped since.
I have been lied to so much, I don't believe a word I am told.