Monday, November 22, 2004

The News and Weekend Review

News:

5 dead, 3 hurt after tree stand hunting dispute
Associated Press
HAYWARD, Wis. – A dispute among deer hunters over a tree stand in northwest Wisconsin erupted Sunday in a shooting that left five people dead and three injured, officials said. The alleged gunman was arrested Sunday afternoon at the line between Rusk and Sawyer counties, according to Sawyer County sheriff’s officials.

The violence began after a hunting party saw a hunter occupying their tree stand, Sawyer County Chief Deputy Tim Zeigle told KSTP-TV of St. Paul, Minn. The shootings occurred in the town of Meteor in southwest Sawyer County, Sheriff James Meier said in a written statement. Three people were taken to a local hospital, Meier said. One victim was in critical condition at a Marshfield hospital, a nursing supervisor said. KSTP reported that the others wounded were being treated at a Rice Lake, Wis., hospital, where one was in critical condition and the other was in fair condition. Wisconsin’s 9-day deer gun hunting season started Saturday.

Wow, am I glad I turned down the offer of going hunting this weekend.

Law and Order-Livid librarians
Keeping library books too long could soon land some readers in jail. Frustrated librarians in Bay City, Mich., want the worst offenders to face criminal charges and up to 90 days behind bars. “We want to go after some of the people who owe us a lot of money,” said Frederick J. Paffhausen, the library’s system director. “We want to set an example.”
Paffhausen is asking the Bay County Library Board for permission to seek arrest warrants for offenders who ignore repeated notices. The board plans to consider the crackdown next month. One patron from Bad Axe owes $1,190 for 73 items – mainly science-fiction books – hoarded for more than a year, Paffhausen said. Patrons keep an average of $25,000 in overdue materials out of the library system each year, officials said.

Paffhausen also asked City Council for $1,200 dollars to equip library staff with stun guns. Justifying this by saying “Speaking in tones louder than a whisper is unacceptable and against the rules, patrons should only have to warned once.”

Video game to recreate JFK’s killing
Associated Press
GLASGOW, Scotland – A British company said Sunday it is releasing a video game recreating the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy. The Glasgow-based firm Traffic said “JFK Reloaded” is an educational “docu-game” that would help disprove conspiracy theories about Kennedy’s death.

Just in time for Christmas the company plans to roll out “Concentration Camps Revisited” and “Pol-Pot Man of Vision” where the players will be responsible for managing high quota’s of extermination, the programs are loosely based on of the popular Sim-City game series.

Police interrogate, arrest antique shop robbery suspect
A Fort Wayne man was arrested last week after he told police that he robbed a Broadway antique shop, court records said. Michael H. Wagner II, 24, also known as Ben Dover and Dick Bush, was formally charged Thursday with robbery. The subject was quickly apprehended in the downtown area. Police report he was easy to identify due to the WW I army helmet he was wearing and the Brass head board he was carrying. All the items stolen were recovered.

On the Holidays:
Different directions and a lot of road time for us this year but the food promises to be good. It’s funny how different parts of the country eat and celebrate holidays in different ways. Thanksgiving is not as noticeable as Christmas, but there are differences. Example: Tuesday I am going to pick-up two ducks and two geese, in the mid-west it seems turkey and hams are the norm. I won’t even address eating lamb with mint jelly on Easter. Can you tell I am hungry this morning?

On work:
You know sometimes I think everyone who is nuts saves it up for when I am on-call, truth be known it wasn’t much of a weekend. Busy but not a lot of downtime. As a result, I am thinking about flexing off some hours this week as recompense.

On getting drunk:
Sorry, no good stories to tell, I am still practicing the “be kind to your liver week”. That and I have been in a bit of a shitty mood the last few weeks, as my good friend Eric the Viking once said “the slipperiest substance known to man is the neck of a bottle, just look at all the people who have fallen in.” Bad space and lots of alcohol seems to add to a problem rather than take away, (Damn its hard to tell I am a Rhoades Scholar isn’t it) a respite was in order. That and there are too many good stories still going around.

On Food:
This weekend I didn’t make borsht, even though I got three phone calls asking when it was going to be done. I didn’t have the time and truth be known I wasn’t in the mood. However; my dear friend the Serb-Sniper did stop by and drop of some homemade baklava and perogies. Saturday, I made shrimp and couscous with fresh mangos and Sunday it was steaks, asparagus and dilled new potatoes.

On Picking up Reupholstered Furniture:
Sunday, I went and picked up some wicker rocking chairs that had sat in garages for 50 years; my understanding is that they were made in the 1890’s, so it looks cool. When moving into the house however we were struck with the problem of “shit, it sure looked smaller in the garage, so this week its going to be musical chairs with the furniture, which is ok as long as the piano stays put. My back is already hurting in anticipation.


On Sports:
Well, St. Francis won again, go Cougars…and it was a pleasant day to watch football. Now let’s talk about the South Carolina game, Lou’s last regular season game, did anyone catch that? It was big news down home, seems the players all of a sudden thought they were in a basketball game and had a sideline clearing free for all, damn sad-way for one of the best coaches in football to go out. But hey the Bowl games start, so there is some good to come out of it all yet.

Now on basketball, Hell Yes! Suspend them, that was uncalled for. Every now and then we all need to be reminded of what the rules are and get slapped when we cross the line, as grandfather always said, shit like that can be character building if you process it the right way. Just goes to prove my point that November is a depressing angry month but hey it’s all most over.

Todays Poem:
(Just picked up two of his books from a friend who was at a reading in San Fran last month)

Voices in the Night

I am the Raven
con of the world
spirit of blood and mire;
signal to the death,
the awakening before the coming.

I am the Owl
a reincarnation of a fed Rat
a wise soul searching - loving;
I find youth during their revelation,
and then take the responsibility,
of explaining away the exodus.

And I, I am the Hawk
guardian of the son
I bring the eye to battle;
searching wanting - warning,
the families of Lightning and of the Bear.

We shall be there when both Demons
and Angels together come to earth
do battle with man.

I am the Sparrow
the breath of heaven
I bring the desires of our Mother
and ask for you; to take care
of her belongings, her creatures.

I am the Bear from the family, before man
I will crush mans enemies
then selectively bind those
who would change the world;
to the ways of the White Witch.

And I, I am Lightning
I will strike down the madness
destroy the enemies of the Bear;
I am the weapon, of the most secure
Angel of our Lord.

We shall be here when both Demons
and Angels together come to do battle
with man.

And I am the Eye,
knowing of what must be done
to save man from destroying;
the faith of his One God.

Together we take the hour
of silence, form our armies.
Karma leading the way;
we reach out to the night.

Changing mans destiny,
crushing the selfishness
of blinded destruction;
Working the sphere of time; Risking all.

It is our destiny to be here
when both Demons and Angels
come together to do battle with Man.

Hear our voices; listen to our words,
the songs of her love.
In the breath of the world.

The Voices In The Night.

Joseph Mayo Wristen


Today’s New Word:
Busta: A punk; "Dis’ fool acting all Busta wit it!" "My sister's boyfriend is nothing but a busta."

Todays New Phrase:
Padonka Donk Donk: Often heard in small college towns in the Ohio River valley, Same as that of the Padonka Donk, but larger, rounder, wider, and full of donk. “She may have a padonka donk but that young lady there has the padonka donk donk”. "She hurt me with that padonka donk donk"


Today’s Bill:

SONNET 27
Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head,
To work my mind, when body's work's expired:
For then my thoughts, from far where I abide,
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do see
Save that my soul's imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous and her old face new.
Lo! thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind,
For thee and for myself no quiet find.

Quote for the Day:
Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good; try to use ordinary situations.
Jean Paul Richter
German author (1763 - 1825)

I Remain, a free radical with out regard to tort,

JQP