Ohio River Life

Stills

2012-01-27T16:17:00.001-05:00

Giants and Patriots in Super Bowl rematch

2012-01-23T08:51:00.002-05:00

by M. Stewart
As an NFL fan, I am satisfied that this year's Super Bowl will be a worthy match up; in fact, it will be a rematch of four years ago, which was one of the greatest game in SB history. The New England Patriots and New York Giants will go at it again.

Both conference championship games were fantastic, though I admit that it was difficult to see how the Baltimore Ravens lost to New England. A stripped catch in the end zone that would have won the game, a game-ending botched field goal by one of the more reliable kickers in the league--I can only imagine how Baltimore fans must feel.

I consider it kind of low-class to "hate" your favorite team's rivals; in fact, to me that's the difference between a football fan and someone who merely "loves" a particular team. As such, I take no pleasure in the Ravens loss. Joe Flacco played a great game, as did all the other Baltimore players. They certainly played well enough to win, and probably should have won. But everyone knows that should never won anything.

So congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens for a great season. As for the San Francisco 49ers, I don't have much connection to West Coast teams. Still, the 49ers too played well enough to win. A couple of botched punts by a young player was the difference in the game. Congrats to San Francisco for a fantastic year.

I became an Eli Manning/New York Giants fan after the big Super Bowl win over the Patriots four years ago. Everyone has pointed out how this year's Giants team has taken a similar path to championship. Can the beat the Pats a second time? The odds are against it, but who knows? I'll be rooting for the Giants, but mostly I hope it is a great game decided in the final seconds.

How people from East Liverpool see the Tri-State Area

2012-01-17T11:11:00.002-05:00

Name that movie

2012-01-17T11:02:00.001-05:00

If you think you know what movie this "still" is from, chime in. I won't respond until someone gets it right.

49ers stop Brees; Pats crucify Tebow; Steelers fans confused

2012-01-15T10:49:00.005-05:00

by M. Stewart
Saturday's NFL playoff games provided the kind of drama that makes football great. First the 49ers and Saints play a full 60 minutes of great offensive and defensive football, then the Patriots blow out the Broncos. The first was the better game by far, but the New England game was a statement. The Pats are a Super Bowl team if I've ever seen one.

Of course the Tim Tebow story provided the week's pre-game hype, but Tom Brady was the one who showed up to win. The best quote of the day came from Dan Marino, who at halftime said that the only way the Broncos get back into the game is if Tom Brady switches sides.

The New England defense studied last week's Denver-Pittsburgh game and discovered how not to play the Broncos' college-style offense. There are several obvious reasons why the Steelers lost that game--injuries, playing away, poor execution, bad clock management, etc.--but Pittsburgh came into the game ranked as the league's number one defense behind a "genius" hall-of-fame defensive coordinator in Dick LeBeau.

As it turned out, the Steelers' defense made Tim Tebow a star. Yet the New England Patriots' defense, ranked next-to-last in the league, shut Tebow and the Denver offense down completely on Saturday. Remember too that Pittsburgh beat New England decisively earlier this season. So Dick LeBeau's defense could shut down Tom Brady but not Tim Tebow? I don't understand.

Especially in the playoffs, where all the teams are good, football is a psychological game, and it seems there is no more important psychological factor than playing at home. So far, the home team has won every playoff game. (I'm writing this two hours before Sunday's games begin, so that could change.)

Also, playoff games are culminating events. After every game, someone's season is over, and it can be analyzed as a whole. Finishing the regular season at 12-4, the Steelers limped into the playoffs. Early in the Denver game, Pittsburgh lost its two best defensive linemen--Brett Keisel and Casey Hampton--as well as their best offensive lineman, Max Starks. Ben Roethlisberger came in gimpy. Star safety Ryan Clark couldn't play due to altitude sickness. Star linebacker Lamar Woodley was a non-factor with a hamstring injury, and all-pro center Maurkice Pouncey was out with an ankle. Starting running back Rashard Mendehall was out for knee surgery.

Every team has injuries this late in the season, but the Steelers were reeling. Add Denver's home field advantage and the whole Tebowmania thing, and anything could have happened. And it did. Still, the Denver-Pittsburgh game was a great one. Even with all the setbacks, the Steelers could have (and should have) won the game in regulation. Starting with last year's Super Bowl loss, Ben has not shown the ability to win games in final possessions. Despite his two rings and three appearances, Ben is not in the same league as Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers.

Brees is out, but Brady and Rodgers are still in. Wouldn't you just love to see a Patriots-Packers Super Bowl?

Wetzel painting class begins Feb 9

2012-01-13T08:29:00.002-05:00

If you have any interest in learning how to paint, why not learn from a local master? East Liverpool's Craig Wetzel will be offering a month-long, hands-on class in "Fundamentals of Painting" Feb. 9 -- March 8 at the Kent State East Liverpool Campus.

The cost is a mere $125. Check out Craig's website for more details, or call the artist himself at 234-567-0697.

Crazy Pat claims God wants Obama out

2012-01-06T20:11:00.003-05:00

Driving on ice

2012-01-04T17:13:00.005-05:00

Looks like Scott Stewart, but it isn't. Frank Gallagher (left).

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T11:11:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T08:20:00.000-05:00

An angel announces the birth of the messiah.

Winter Solstice

2011-12-22T09:14:00.000-05:00

Today is the Winter Solstice--the shortest daylight period of the year in the northern hemisphere of Earth. Within the Arctic Circle, there will be no daylight today. There is nothing magical or mystical about it. The laws of motion and gravity conspire to create this annual phenomenon.

The Hobbit (Dec. 2012)

2011-12-21T09:09:00.002-05:00

Data from Kepler

2011-12-20T16:11:00.002-05:00

Steelers are toast

2011-12-20T09:28:00.001-05:00

By M. Stewart
Well, it looks like the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers don't have what it takes to win a big game on the road against a quality opponent. Last night's 20-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers wasn't even close. Pittsburgh's offense couldn't buy a touchdown, and SF moved the ball easily against an ineffective defense.

Given his four-turnover performance, Ben Roethlisberger shouldn't have played. Mike Tomlin's refusal to play backup quarterbacks when Ben is injured shows that he has no faith in Batch or Dixon, which is a serious problem.

Last night's loss pretty much assures that Pittsburgh will be on the road throughout the playoffs, and with the way this team plays on the road, I'd say the chance of another Super Bowl appearance is slim to none.

A little closer to home . . .

I see in the local newspaper that East Liverpool City Council is debating whether to give our deceased police chief a retroactive raise. Obviously there is something I'm missing. Anybody know what it is?

How low will the NFL stoop?

2011-12-19T11:47:00.009-05:00

This is a screen capture of today's NFL's web site headline after Tom Brady and the New England Patriots beat the shit out of the Broncos in Denver on national TV. Apparently, the league no longer thinks winning is important. For the rest of us: Brady and his offense were brilliant, and after the first quarter, the Patriot defense took over the game.
Patriots 41 -- Broncos 23.

Steelers fans will take note that virtually every piece that needed to fall did indeed fall on Sunday. The Chargers' Philip Rivers destroyed the Baltimore Ravens. The Carolina Panthers beat Houston convincingly behind rookie quarterback Cam Newton. Philly blew out the Jets.

All this makes tonight's Steelers-49ers game really big-time football. If the Steelers can win and then beat St. Louis at home and Cleveland on the road, they are the AFC top seed and North division winners. Those are big ifs, especially the one tonight.

More miracles

2011-12-15T09:00:00.015-05:00

by M. Stewart
It took rescuers hours to free the body of 41-year-old advertising executive Suzanne Hart from the elevator that killed her Wednesday. This was the same elevator she had ridden every day since June 2007, when she started working at the Madison Avenue advertising firm of Young and Rubicam.

On this day, she put one foot across the threshold and the elevator suddenly lurched with the door still open, pinning her body between floors. Those already on the elevator stood in horror as Suzanne Hart's body was mangled before their eyes by the machine.

Ms. Hart had a good job in New York City. She was described as "generous, warm, creative, and nurturing." Apparently she had a "spirit that knitted people together" and was "one of the most wonderful people in the world." Fighting to maintain his composure after hearing the news, her father called her "the most marvelous daughter imaginable. . . . No father could have ever been more proud of her."

What happened to Suzanne Hart on Wednesday could have happened to any one of us. You walk onto an elevator, and the next thing you know, you're life is squeezed out by a brainless, malfunctioning machine. It's no one's fault. There is no sense to it. No one can help you. Your number was up. Wrong place, wrong time.

Religious people might ask, "Where was God? Why would he let something this horrible happen to this good person? Where's the justice?"

Come to think of it, those are the last questions religious people would ask. Instead, they would go on singing the praises of their god, thanking Him for everything they have, begging Him for everything they want, doing and saying anything to keep Him from crushing them too. The people who were ready to step onto that same elevator behind Suzanne Hart will call it a miracle that they were saved by the invisible hand of the Lord.

Where was the omnipotent, omniscient ruler of the universe on Wednesday? Perhaps He was Christmas shopping in Alabama or Mississippi or Florida or Texas. Perhaps He was looking for a new flat-screen TV so that He and His celestial friends can watch the Denver-New England game on Sunday. That Tim Tebow, now there's somebody to watch. He can bring more young people to the Lord as long as He wins another game in the fourth quarter.

As completely absurd as this sounds, millions of people believe it and would have you believe it too.
_________________________________________

Closer to home. when are the local newspapers going to stop printing everything Gary Bonnell wants them to? The man's raison d'etre is launching petty personal vendettas against his political enemies through the newspapers.

Mind you now, Gary Bonnell has been a Liverpool Township zoning administrator and a member of local school board, and he didn't do either of those for very long. These are the major accomplishments of his public life. Yet the reporters come a-runnin' every time Bonnell's venom builds up and needs released. This time it's Dick Wolf. Before that it was Nick Trombetta, Maureen Aronoff, and Bob Miller.

As long as the newspapers remain at his disposal, Gary will continue to be our area's Grand Inquisitor.

Who is Jack Marshall II?

2011-12-13T06:57:00.004-05:00

by M. Stewart
Because the local newspaper web sites have been down for the past couple of days, I'm just now getting to Sunday's Morning Journal story, "Commissioner's conduct at jail at heart of deputies' grievance," which is a follow up to a story last week.

It seems that on Nov. 19 county Commissioner Mike Halleck and Republican Party Chair David Johnson showed up at the sheriff's office to post bond for a Jack Marshall II, who had been arrested after failing to appear for a hearing regarding a traffic offense. Neither of the MoJo stories offered details of the offense, nor did they have much to say about Jack Marshall II. Instead, the stories focused on the issue of whether a union officer should have escorted the prisoner from the jail to the sheriff's office and the manner of payment made by Commissioner Halleck.

Am I the only person who wants to know who Jack Marshall II is? What was the nature of the traffic offense, and why didn't he appear at his hearing? If this guy is so important that he can mobilize the chairman of the Republican Party and a county commissioner on a Saturday night to pay his bond, why couldn't he come up with the $600 himself? Why did these prominent Republican politicians need to be involved at all?

Whatever the real story is, it's being hidden behind the smokescreen of a relatively insignificant union issue.

In another story involving the S.O., county Sheriff Ray Stone has announced that he plans to retire on April 30, 2012, but he intends to run for re-election when his current term expires in the same year.

Even though Ohio law permits this double-dipping nonsense, I remain opposed to it. Retirement benefits should be for people who retire, and retirement means to stop working at a particular company or agency after a designated period of service.

Besides, who would be the sheriff between April 30, 2012 and Jan. 1, 2013? If Stone retires, he is done on that day. It's questionable if Stone will be re-elected, but even if he is, who will be the sheriff during the seven-month interim?

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of paying public employees retirement benefits while they are still working. Not only does this practice keep younger people out of jobs, it allows older workers to scam the taxpayers for a double wage that they do not deserve. Why aren't the Republicans worried about this scam? Why won't Halleck or Johnson comment on this?

Inverse Icarus

2011-12-12T19:59:00.001-05:00

SENSE OF FLYING from Goovinn on Vimeo.

Prater leads Broncos to another "miracle" victory

2011-12-12T07:02:00.005-05:00

by M. Stewart
It looks like the Denver Broncos have snatched yet another last minute victory, this time from the hands of the Chicago Bears, or should I say Chicago running back Marion Barber, whose play in the last four minutes of regulation and in OT makes one wonder if he purposely threw the game. Take Barber out and the Bears win 10-7.

But that's not how it works. How it does work is that Broncos kicker Matt Prater hit a 59 yard tying field goal in the final seconds of regulation. Prater then hit another in OT for the win. Yet none of today's sports headlines read, "Prater leads Broncos to victory!"

Given that most of the world's digital citizens use Facebook, it's clear that online privacy is not an important issue to most people. It's getting to the point where those who are concerned about privacy are seen as Neanderthalic cranks. I guess I'm one of the cranks.

According to a story in the New York Times, Netflix is lobbying to overturn the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act, which stipulates that video rental/distribution companies must obtain a customer's written consent before disclosing viewing information and other personal information.

Netflix wants to turn its popular video streaming service into a social-media, data-sharing site. Quoted in the Times, Netflix lawyer David Hyman said, "It really is meant to empower the consumer to be able to share with their friends. . . . It really kind of levels the playing field in social media."

Empower the consumer? Oh come on! It's safe to assume that Netflix isn't spending all this money and effort because customers are clamoring to have the company share their personal viewing data. Clearly, dispensing with privacy will benefit the company in some way. According to the Times piece, Netflix wants to eliminate the Video Privacy Protection Act altogether, but I'm sure the company will be happy with some weakening of the law . . . for now.

It's starting to look like George Orwell's "Big Brother" was small potatoes. Orwell's mistake was that he thought government would be biggest snoop in our lives. He forgot about business.

Death, resurrection, and more death

2011-12-10T13:15:00.019-05:00

by M. Stewart
Better late than never . . .

Steelers-Browns Thursday night was a great game. Big hits, big plays, big injuries, big drama--what more can you ask for? Like everyone else who saw the game, I was certain that Ben Roethlisberger's leg was broken and that his season was done. To see him come back out and play in the second half was a miracle sent directly from Yahweh, who, I'm told, is an football fan.

Along with Roger Goodell, Yahweh oversees the game. We all know he's got a man in Denver, but his best work is in Pittsburgh with the reclamation and resurrection of Big Bad Ben. Let's face it, God is a Steelers fan. He set up James Harrison's hit on Colt McCoy, whom He sees as nothing more than a pagan Leprechaun, and He dialed up the 79-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown to end the game. Anybody who thinks it wasn't God who did these things is a foo.

God is a Packers fan, you say? Is that what I heard? Maybe, but I'm thinking He's setting them up for a fall. Look what He did to Tom Brady and the Patriots a few years back when He used Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress to get the job done. Think about it.

On the other side of the planet, Palestinian leaders are lining up to express their dismay at Newt Gingrich's interpretation of history regarding the Palestinian right to the Land of Canaan. See Palestinians attack Gingrich. Calling the Palestinians an "invented" people, the Republican frontrunner upholds the basic Zionist point of view on the legitimacy question.

The Palestinian leaders quoted in the story claim that Gingrich's history is wrong, but they are short on details. In fact, they don't offer an alternative interpretation of history--only that they didn't like the candidate's statement and that Gingrich is pandering to Jews. I'd be willing to bet that not one of the other Republican candidates could even follow Gingrich's argument.

As you undoubtedly know by now, more gun violence has struck the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg. With a mass murder, female decapitation, and random cop murder/suicide in the last four years, one has to wonder if something hasn't creeped into the fracking water down there.

Even though Blacksburg sits in the middle of a hardcore Southern Appalachia, it is a sophisticated oasis of learning and research thanks to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University--a.k.a., Virginia Tech. I taught there for several years and lived in the area for many more, and I can tell you that there is no particular reason why these horrible events should have clustered around this town. In fact, I saw one of those "ten best" roundups on the news recently that designated Blacksburg as the best place in the country to live and raise a family.

As yet, no one knows what the 22-year-old Radford University student was doing at Virginia Tech in the first place, let alone what led him to walk up to a police cruiser at a traffic stop, shoot the cop inside, change out of his clothes, then shoot himself in a parking lot. It's this kind of random violence that freaks people out the most.

At one time, Virginia Tech was an all-male technical institute, and Radford was the nearby (but safely distant) women's college, but both institutions have been co-ed schools for at least 50 years. While Tech retains a military subculture, it has become the largest university in the state of Virginia, attracting students and faculty from around the world. In contrast, Radford is a small, isolated college-turned-university that doesn't compete with Tech on any level. I can't imagine that the recent killing has anything to do with either university, but at this point, who can say?

At this writing, all that seems known about the killer, Ross Truett Ashley, is that he is 22 years old, lived in a Radford apartment above some businesses, liked to run down hallways, and recently shaved his head. That "recently-shaved-his-head" part will provide the key to this crime. Didn't Cho Seung Hui also shave his head before killing 32 people in April 2007? Could Ashley have been following in Cho's footsteps but chickened out after he shot and killed Ptl. Deriek Crouse (right), an innocent man from nearby Christiansburg and father of five children?

Tebow time in Texas: Obama's war on religion

2011-12-08T09:26:00.002-05:00

Monday stuff

2011-12-05T10:14:00.005-05:00

by M. Stewart
I hope most of you were able to get downtown for the annual East Liverpool Christmas parade. We were in Pittsburgh on Saturday but planned everything to get back just in time. It was great to see all the local high school bands participate. The weather was comparatively mild, considering that the parade usually is a serious cold-weather challenge, so nobody's lips froze to the horn.

Also Saturday, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain decided to call it quits in front of adoring supporters in Atlanta. Defiant to the end, Cain refused to come clean, claiming that his campaign was derailed by women who are out to get him. The ordained Baptist minister said he was innocent of all charges and that he is right with his god and wife. I felt sorry for Cain's chump wife, who had to stand there and pretend that she believed it all.

Cain hinted last week of still more women coming forward to make false claims against him, which, I presume, had everything to do with his decision to throw in the towel. Let's face it, Cain was hardly presidential material in the first place. His early success in the polls came as the result of a remarkably weak field.

Newt Gingrich is sitting pretty at this point, and he may be the only Republican left who can beat Obama. Mitt Romney seems to be fading fast, or perhaps he's just no longer the flavor of the month. But even if he can mount a comeback and somehow win the nomination, he has established himself as a pandering candidate. Even the Republicans have seen this.

The Republican masses imagine that Obama is more vulnerable than he is. What they are unable to see is that most reasonable independent voters understand all too well that the Republicans have aligned themselves with the super rich. Add to it a Republican Congress that has been a complete bust, willing to bring the nation's economy and government to a standstill in the name of ideology, and the party comes into the presidential election with little practical credibility. The only ones who have forgotten how Republican policies tanked the economy in the first place are the Republicans. The rest of us have not.

The one problem with Gingrich is that he is intelligent and articulate, which is enough to make the tea-soaked modern Republican electorate nervous. A lot of people won't understand him. As such, Newt will have to dumb it down considerably if he expects to get the nomination, which I think he can do. A catchy slogan would help. Some advice for Newt: Leave the scary wife at home.

Here's a good piece on the Republican situation by Paul Krugman.

Now on to football.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to trounce the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field Sunday by a score of 35-7, the same score by which the Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens on opening day. The Bengals, however, are far from out of the playoff picture. Pittsburgh fans are counting on them beating the Ravens in the last game of the season. Well, let's say our fingers are crossed. Personally, I don't see it.

The Steelers have a good chance of winning out and ending the season with a 13-3 record. The only tough game for them is the San Francisco 49ers in San Fran. Because the 49ers already have won their division, they won't be out for blood, so winning out seems very possible for Pittsburgh, even probable. Otherwise, it's two games with the Browns and one with the St. Louis Rams. The Steelers would have to forget to show up to lose those games, but anything is possible.

The Ravens have two games left against worthy opponents. As bad as the San Diego Chargers have been this year, they can still beat a good team if they want to, and the Bengals could take down the Ravens if they play a flawless game and the Ravens don't. Still, I have to predict that the Ravens will win out too, leaving them 13-3 with a head-to-head tie-breaker advantage over the Steelers.

I watched the Cleveland Browns try to play the Ravens yesterday in Cleveland, and it was no contest. Put simply, the Browns are one of the worst offensive football teams I've ever seen. Poor little Colt McCoy has no chance with such bumbling, inept receivers, and running back Peyton Hillis isn't able to pick up the slack. Cleveland needs so many players that it's impossible to predict how long it will take for them to become competitive, especially in the AFC North, which is no place for weaklings.

Thank God for Fox

2011-11-30T21:52:00.002-05:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Much Ado About Stuffing

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

The Daily Show on Facebook

Steelers count on Chiefs to self destruct

2011-11-28T08:39:00.007-05:00

Photos by Jeff Martin

by M. Stewart
The Pittsburgh Steelers often play their worst games on national television against weak opponents, and Sunday night was no different. Oh yeah, they won they game by a score of 13-9.

The Kansas City Chiefs defense, one of worst in the league, looked like the Baltimore Ravens as they held a bumbling Pittsburgh offense to a touchdown and a pair of field goals. Unable to conduct any business at all in the second half, the Steelers' offense looked like it had been modeled on the Cleveland Browns. They wouldn't have scored at all if KC hadn't handed them four turnovers.

One has to wonder what was going through offensive coordinator Bruce Arians' head when he decided to sit his first- and second-string running backs in favor of third stringer Mewelde Moore in the red zone. On his only carry of the night, Moore fumbled the ball away on the goal line. This is after Rashard Mendenhall scored on two tough red zone runs last week. I guess Bruce wanted to punish him.

Despite a broken thumb, Ben Roethlisberger managed to play well enough to outscore Chiefs' quarterback Matt Cassel, who didn't play at all due to injury. Ben barely played well enough to beat Tyler Palko, who threw three interceptions right to surprised Steelers' DBs. But it's hardly Ben's fault. He was under siege most of the evening from the Chiefs' pass rush. The Pittsburgh offensive line played it's worst game of the season. It happens.

It seems too that Mike Wallace is no longer a deep threat, if for no other reason than Ben can't throw the deep ball with any accuracy. If it were just this game no one would notice (broken thumb and all), but Ben hasn't been able to throw the long ball for several games. It probably wouldn't have mattered last night. Uncharacteristically, Wallace played like he had greased fingers.

If you saw the game, you know that as bad as Palko played, he nearly engineered a winning drive in the last two minutes. It was ended by an interception in which his wide receiver literally folded his arms against his ribs rather than attempt to catch the ball. Forever on film, Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe will go down as the NFL's biggest pussy.

But, as the cliche goes, a win is a win, especially a road win. In a week or two, no one will remember the Kansas City game. A win truly is a win, even if you look terrible in getting it. It won't be the first or last time the Steelers escape a loss with a disappointing performance. Good teams win even when they don't play well.

NOTE: Former Morning Journal reporter Jeff Martin was at Arrowhead Stadium last night. He promised to send some photos that I'll post as soon as they arrive.

Chief McVay's passing a blow to the city

2011-11-27T12:35:00.000-05:00

by M. Stewart
Like everyone else in East Liverpool, I was shocked yesterday to hear about the sudden death of city police Chief Mike McVay.

I cannot say that Chief McVay was a close friend, but he was a much admired acquaintance, and I am very saddened by his death on both the personal and community levels. It was his leadership that made the ELPD the best police force in the Tri-State Area. The entire department took its strength from Mike's own personal and professional dignity.

I know that our PD will get through this difficult time and continue to live up to Chief McVay's high standards, but there's no getting around the fact that our community has suffered a tremendous loss. Perhaps we can take some comfort in knowing that the next chief will have learned from one of the best.

Goodbye Mike.

Max Keiser Report

2011-11-26T08:08:00.003-05:00

Posting inspired by Doug Arner.

For the readers among you, check out Paul Krugman's editorial on how the elite of the elite operate in American politics.

Thanksgiving leftovers

2011-11-25T12:38:00.007-05:00

by M. Stewart
I didn't get to see the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers last night because I no longer get the NFL channel; however, I listened to the game on Westwood One radio. Although it was close at the half, I knew Baltimore would win. By the end of the game, the Ravens defense had run up nine quarterback sacks out of a coverage set. When that happens, there's no hope for the offense.

I keep hearing Pittsburgh sports talk guys saying that they won't believe in Baltimore until they beat the Steelers in a big game--as in playoff game. First of all, the Ravens have won every big game they've played this year, including the Steelers twice, the Bengals, Jets, Texans, and 49ers. The losses to relatively weak opponents--Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Seattle--have shown that Baltimore is capable of emotional let-downs, but that doesn't say anything about their ability to prep for big games with quality opponents.

Especially with the emergence of speedster WR Torrey Smith in the deep game, great play from veteran Anquan Boldin on middle routes, and the running and receiving of Ray Rice, the Ravens offense is a threat from anywhere on the field. Robot quarterback Joe Flacco is the wild card, but he is coming into his own, and I look for Joe to shake his can't-win-the-big-game monkey this year.

But Baltimore depends upon its defense to win games, and it does. That's the difference.

What I'd love to see is the Steelers trouncing the Ravens in the playoffs, but I'm not getting that vibe this year. In fact, I'm going to reverse the trend and say that until Pittsburgh shows it can beat Baltimore in a big game this year, I can't take them seriously as a Super Bowl contender. In other words, Baltimore is the team to beat in the AFC.

And how about Detroit's Ndamukong Suh stomping on Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith in full view of a national holiday audience? I'm guessing Suh will be suspended 2-4 games and fined in six figures. Just curious. How many of you have considered naming your next male child "Ndamukong"? This guy's issues gotta go back to childhood.

The Packers weren't happy about the incident, of course, but since nobody was hurt, it's but a twig in the road. Nobody in the NFL is playing well enough to beat the Packers at this point. Key injuries down the stretch could change all that, but this is a very good football team steamrolling its way to the playoffs.

By now you've all heard about the Black Friday pepper spray incident at the California Wal-mart. Ever media outlet has something on it. In a world filled with closed-circuit cameras and smart phones, competitive shoppers know that any BF incident will get them their 15 minutes of fame. So why not pepper spray a crowd in a toy department in Los Angeles? Can you buy pepper spray in Wal-mart?

As people riot in stores across America this Thanksgiving, we should all take a moment to remember the economic crisis. On Black Friday 2011, most Americans are poor. They can't afford to fly home to mom's for Thanksgiving dinner. They're cutting back to just one Apple toy per month.

The new American poor live in squalor. Their children go without shoes and coats. Some of the little ones have flies wandering in and out of their noses and mouths. In many cases, their parents have been forced to downsize their homes and cars--or worse yet, forced to work at a lesser job to pay the banks and utility companies.

Meanwhile, the patrician class lives it up on the backs of the suffering, dying middle class. The patricians laugh at government's attempts to curb their power. They have demonized government in the eyes of the common folk, who are lining up to stick their heads up any rich man's ass. Everyone in America wants to be rich. Everyone. They deserve it. In America, money is the only thing there is, and the more of it you have, the closer you get to God.

Tebowing

2011-11-23T13:42:00.052-05:00

M. Stewart
Even at this early stage of his career, no one should be surprised at what comes out of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow's mouth, but I admit that this guy continues to stun me.

An article at NFL.com quotes Tebow as saying, "If you're married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife I love her the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity? That's how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ."

Am I missing something? His relationship with Jesus Christ is the same as between a husband and wife? I don't even want to think about what that means.

The point isn't his faith or his bizarre relationship with Christ. Truly, nobody cares what he believes, but apparently he thinks we all do. It's his inappropriate public gesticulations and comments that make people dislike him. Nobody likes a show-off. The kid doesn't seem to realize that there is a difference between being religious and using the NFL spotlight to make himself, his team, and his faith look silly.

In a post-game interview last Thursday, Tebow responded to a football question with a tribute to his "personal lord and savior, Jesus Christ," as if that had anything to do with the question or the reason he was being interviewed. As I recall, he said the same thing twice--perhaps thrice--during the brief interview. Everything else was just a bunch of football cliches.

I'm sure Tebow isn't the only Christian in the NFL, but never before has anyone in the NFL had less class about his faith. Denver fans will support him as long as the team wins. If it doesn't, they'll want to nail him up.

Aside from the crass behavior, it remains to be seen if Tebow can even be a pro quarterback. He has shown absolutely nothing in that regard. The guy can't hit the broad side of the proverbial barn with his passes. Instead, the Broncos have hidden their quarterback inside a college option set that good NFL defenses will shut down in a heartbeat. Try that shit on Pittsburgh or Baltimore and see how far you get.

When Denver quarterback legend John Elway, now the the team's executive vice president, refused to drink the Tebow Kool-aid and testify that the young quarterback is the Bronco messiah, he was criticized by Denver fans. Some took the attitude of, "What does Elway know about it?"

How quickly they forget.

I lived in Colorado during the Elway era and saw every game he played for five years. He was the best pure quarterback I've ever seen, and that includes Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, or anyone else. So I'll go out on a limb and say that John Elway does know what he's talking about, and when he says it's too early to anoint Tebow, he's right. It's way too early. The kid has only started a handful of games, and based upon every way the NFL measures quarterback performance, he has been terrible.

How terrible, you ask?

Go to NFL.com's stats pages and look up passing and quarterback. You won't see Tebow's name (as of this writing). Every other starting quarterback is on that list, both good and bad. But no Tebow. Why? Because to be considered a statistically relevant quarterback, you must throw at least 14 passes per game. In short, Tebow's performance at his position is so bad that he doesn't even register as an NFL quarterback.

But the Broncos have won 4 of 5 games with Tebow at the helm, and that's the bottom line. What's so strange is that he and Jesus have taken all the credit. There are other players on the Denver team whose hard work may have had something to do with those victories. Did Jesus throw the blocks, kick the field goals, make the tackles, intercept the passes? If you listen to Tim Tebow, the answer is yes.

So given that Tebow plays his position so badly, what has made him so instantly famous? You tell me.

Darwinism and contemporary economics

2011-11-19T12:44:00.005-05:00

Check out this story on how the rich get government welfare--a lot of it. How about a pair of oversized antlers for the person who has everything? Or how about cheese made of gold? Think I'm kidding? Think again.

Reading the news

2011-11-17T08:56:00.010-05:00

by M. Stewart

So it turns out that Newt Gingrich received “at least $1.5 million” from Freddie Mac “for consulting contracts stretching from 1999 to 2007.” And just when Republicans were starting to take him seriously for the first time in two decades!

Of course, there is still time to recruit Sarah! Or perhaps the party of greed can bring puppet master Grover Norquist out of the shadows and finally come clean.

The way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Michelle Bachmann got caught using vodka-soaked tampons and that Herman Cain was tending bar.

Did you hear about the Georgia man who is facing 105 years in prison because he won’t plead guilty to protecting his own property, and this is after police, who were involved in shooting a reality show, shot him in his own house.

Some people have been asking what I think of the Occupy Wall Street thing, so here goes. I think Republican Party-sponsored greed is the country’s biggest problem, and of course I support people’s right to protest, but I don’t believe protesters should be allowed to camp out indefinitely in urban parks and public spaces not designed for camping--barring a genuine revolution, that is. The answer to our economic problems will not come from the far left anyway.

Having said that, apparently there are more people in the United States who prefer a communist state than approve of the U.S. Congress (11 to 9 percent). Let’s not forget that these guys didn’t just walk into Washington and take seats. Somebody elected them, and it’s becoming abundantly clear that the Tea Party movement’s recent “success” is ancient history. Even the most uninformed, stupid Americans have been able to see the TP’s real agenda, and it didn’t take long.

Finally, it turns out that former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky has hired an attorney who, when he was 49 years old, fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl. The first thing said pedophile attorney did was to arrange a prime-time interview for his client with NBC's Bob Costas. In just a few minutes, Sandusky convinced everyone who heard him that he is guilty.

And the results are . . .

2011-11-16T16:45:00.000-05:00

Nick Swardson's Pretend Time

Wednesdays 10:30 / 9:30c

Uncensored - Alien Paternity Test

www.comedycentral.com

Lady Gaga's Brother: Garry Gaga

Wheelchair Cat

Nick Swardson on Jokes.com

Steelers beat Cincy; Ravens blow it in Seattle

2011-11-14T09:56:00.002-05:00

Someone must have reminded the Pittsburgh Steelers defense at halftime that interceptions are permitted in the NFL; otherwise, the team wouldn't have beaten the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Without William Gay's game-changing pick near the end of game, the Bengals had a real good shot at knocking Pittsburgh out of the playoff hunt.

Instead, thanks to Baltimore's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers find themselves in first place by a half game. Because Cincy plays the Ravens next weekend and the Steelers have a bye, someone will be sharing that spot with them. Steelers fans hope it's the Bengals.

In other NFL stories, the football media continues to deify Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, whose unbelievably bad performance on Sunday was lauded coast-to-coast. Tebow's team managed to beat a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs team by a touchdown, yes, but Yahweh's quarterback went 2 for 8 for just 69 yards. Win or lose, if any other NFL quarterback went 2 for 8, he would be crucified by the pundits. But not Tebow. Instead, it's "Tebow leads Broncos over Chiefs."

Here's the truth: Tebow is a college-level quarterback for a bad team that has been able to beat a couple of other bad teams in spite of his terrible play.

But the NFL also has a quarterback sponsored by another mythic god--Satan. That would be Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles, whose team lost at home to the Arizona Cardinals. Vick went 16 of 34 for a measly 128 yards. Arizona came to town with backup quarterback John Skelton, who was 21 of 40 for 315 yards and 3 TDs. Despite Skelton's remarkable performance, I was unable to find any headlines that read "Skelton leads Cardinals over Eagles." Maybe Skelton needs to make a bigger show of his religion on the field.

I wasn't surprised by the New England Patriots beating the New York Jets in last night's game. The Pats were pretty much in the same boat as Pittsburgh. Another loss would have placed them into the "also ran" category, and Tom Brady wasn't about to let that happen. The Pats blew out the Jets 37-16.

The Cleveland Browns? They can't even kick a chip-shot field goal to beat the lowly St. Louis Rams. The Browns are literally hard to watch. Somehow they have managed to win three games this year, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how. It's hard to imagine a team with less talent and promise. The only good player the Browns have, Joshua Cribbs, seems doomed to waste what could be a great career in Cleveland.

The Republican presidential field needs to keep quiet

2011-11-12T11:56:00.029-05:00

by M. Stewart
This week, Republican presidential candidates continued to make fools of themselves on national television and blame the media for their own idiocy. Ever since Ronald Reagan, Republicans have blamed "the media" for everything. GOP Rule #1: Never accept responsibility for your own actions.

As if to prove how out of touch the Republican Party is, Herman Cain continues to be the front runner in the weakest field of presidential candidates in living memory. Yet polls of the general electorate repeatedly show that Cain is unelectable, which naturally leads Democrats to hope and pray that he ends up being the Republican nominee. Of course, God himself has chosen Herman Cain for the job of president--or so says the loony front-runner. Read about it here.

Myself, I was hoping for Sarah Palin, but the red-clad symbol of American ignorance didn't have the stomach for it. Instead we have Herman Cain, whose response to American foreign policy questions is, "I don't know nothin' about no Becky-beckystan." A new hero for the Tea Party indeed! Cain also told us all that somehow he can't remember paying hush money to two women who accused him of sexual harassment. It was, after all, a long time ago.

Would-be dictator Rick Perry couldn't remember which government agencies he would eliminate if elected . . . er. . . ah. . .what office is he running for? In an effort to recover, Perry's crack campaign team got him a gig on a late night comedy show to make him look even more foolish. But he's a fighter, this Texan. He's not giving up.

Mitt Romney, the only Republican candidate who stands a chance of succeeding in a general election, is a closet liberal, who spends most of his time trying to convince the conservative faithful that his past record as Massachusetts governor doesn't count. It's no wonder the Republicans don't want him.

Newt Gingrich, the only serious Republican contender without brain damage, remains one of the most unlikable people in American politics. But affability is overrated. If I were a Republican, I'd go with Newt.

All the while, each member of the Republican field remains hard at work trying to make America forget which party tanked the world economy in the first place. They blame President Obama for not creating jobs while running around telling everyone that the federal government should turn the country over to the same greedy businessmen who refuse to hire American workers.

At the state level, Republican politicians have failed in their own misdirection quest that involves blaming educators, firefighters, cops, and every public servant for all their revenue problems. They do this while continuing to preach tax breaks for the wealthy. It never occurs to them that the only money government gets is from taxation, and a working middle class--even if they work for the government--pays a lot of taxes and buys a lot of stuff. I wouldn't want one of these guys to balance my checkbook, let alone run my state. Wait a minute. One of them does run my state!

While it's obvious that the Republicans only answer to the sluggish economy is to keep reducing taxes for the rich and demonizing public servants, others are seeing the big picture of America's rapid decline. If you watch Fox News, you will not have heard of Niall Ferguson. Others of you no doubt have. If not, check out this article describing the broad strokes of Ferguson's new book on how the U.S. might avert its continued collapse.
[WARNING FOR AMERICANS: The article includes references to history.]

Penn State: "Success with Honor"?

2011-11-10T09:03:00.002-05:00

by M. Stewart
I'm sure you've all been following the recent news out of State College, Pa. involving the child sex scandal coverup. The events that led up to the firing of head football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier were about as bad as it can get, but last night's student reaction sends a message to the rest of the world that Penn State is anything but serious academic institution.

Not a single student hit the streets when a grand jury investigation showed that a university-sponsored kids program was nothing more than a way for ex-Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky to recruit children to for sex. Not a single student protested when the world discovered that Joe Paterno and others at the university covered up the actions of a serial child predator for years, allowing Sandusky to continue stalking his prey. But when "JoePa" gets fired by the university board of trustees, students hit the streets to riot.

I'm glad I have nothing to do with Penn State. It's going to take a long, long time for that institution to restore it's credibility on any level. The students can blame the media all they want, but the shame is on them.

Elections

2011-11-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

by M. Stewart
Ohio voters finally saw through the Republican agenda and voted down Senate Bill 5/Issue 2. The Tea Party/Republican effort to destroy the public sector has been unmasked and revealed for what it is: an attempt to turn the country over to corporate interests at the expense of the middle and working classes.

I think the local issue was heavily influenced by the national Republican presidential candidates, who have done everything they can to show that they are nothing more than shills for the greedy rich. The politics of greed under the last Republican administration brought the country to its knees, and this field of candidates assumes we all have amnesia. The attack on public servants that SB-5 represented is all part of an elaborate misdirection campaign, and everyone--even those who voted to support Issue 2 --should be thankful that Ohio didn't fall for it.

Let me also extend my congratulations to Susan Haugh, who was elected mayor of Wellsville. I know she will do a great job in restoring public confidence in the mayor's office.

Art reception Thursday at Mary Pat Gallery

2011-11-09T10:51:00.000-05:00

Newell, W.Va. artists Randy and Kathy Railing will be on hand Thursday evening from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the KSU-EL Mary Patterson Gallery to open their Ohio Valley Regional Arts Council exhibit. Stop by if you can. As always, food and beverages are free.

Baltimore shows Pittsburgh how it's done

2011-11-07T08:39:00.005-05:00

by M. Stewart
Well, it's official. The Baltimore Ravens are a better football team than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last night's big win for Baltimore at Heinz Field can be summed up fairly easily: the Ravens made big plays when they had to and the Steelers didn't.

If you have a four-point lead with two and a half minutes left to go, and your opponent has the ball on its own eight yard line and no time outs, chances are you're going to win, especially if you have a great defense that has played well all night. Right?

Now here's a multiple-choice question for all you high-school football coaches and arm-chair quarterbacks: If you're in that situation, what do you tell your veteran secondary?

A. Whatever you do, don't let any receiver get behind you. Keep the play in front of you.
B. Let a rookie wide receiver beat you into the end zone, and when he fails to catch a perfectly thrown ball for a game-winning touchdown, give him a second chance.

If you chose "B," you are the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Anyone can make mistakes, but when you make mistakes in critical situations at the end of big-time NFL football games, you're going to lose. Having said that, Sunday night's game was a team loss for Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger's ridiculous interception to Terrell Suggs (of all people!) that ended a scoring drive to open the second half, poor special teams coverage that gave Baltimore a short field all night, both offensive and defensive failures in the final two possessions of the game: pick your poison.

From the Ravens side, this was a welcome-to-the-elite game for quarterback Joe Flacco. Maligned as inconsistent, Flacco was brilliant on third down all evening. He made the big plays when they had to be made. He engineered the final winning drive with the kind of precision, confidence, and toughness that only elite quarterbacks can muster.

The bottom line is that with Pittsburgh out of the way, this is Baltimore's year. Make no mistake about it, the Steelers remain a good football team, but they don't have what it takes to beat the Ravens. Not this year.

CNN update on Judge Adams beating story

2011-11-03T20:26:00.000-04:00

Check out this extensive update of the Texas teen-beating incident. Talk about a dysfunctional family!

Texas judge beats daughter for using Internet

2011-11-03T09:14:00.012-04:00

This is how sadistic parents express love in Texas, but the daughter got her revenge. How? By secretly filming her beating and posting the video on the Internet. Now that's what I call justice! The beating shown here took place several years ago, but the video has just recently been posted on YouTube. The judge admitted that he is the person delivering the punishment in the video. Are you surprised that the parents are now divorced? Are you surprised that Judge William Adams presides over child abuse cases? Read an update here. Earlier this week I passed on a story about an Oklahoma judge who was caught masturbating in court. And then there was the Pennsylvania judge who sentenced teenagers to private prisons for kickbacks, and it doesn't stop there. It's time we quit buying into the mystique of judges. They are lawyers with robes, nothing more, and they do not deserve respect merely because they put on those robes. No question about it, we need to find a better way of vetting attorneys before we hand them so much power.

Football, masturbatory justice, and propaganda

2011-10-31T08:55:00.018-04:00

East Liverpool football history
If you haven't already done so, check out the two-part story The Bells: First Family of Potter Football at the E.L. Historical Society web site. The information and photos provide an in-depth look at one of East Liverpool's great sports families.

A big win for Pittsburgh
The Post-Gazette's Bob Smizik wrote this morning: "Hard to believe considering all the negatives attached to them earlier in the season, but after eight games . . . the Steelers by almost every indicator are the best team in the AFC and therefore a leading candidate to play in the Super Bowl."

Hold on there, Bob! While the Pittsburgh Steelers' thrubbing of the New England Patriots on Sunday was a complete and inspiring victory, a seventh Super Bowl ring is a long way off. Pittsburgh has yet to show it can play with the Baltimore Ravens, whose defense won't look anything like New England's.

Astute observers will note that two weeks ago I didn't give the Steelers a chance against Tom Brady's Patriots. I went so far as to call Sunday's game a "no brainer" in favor of the Pats. While I am pleased to be wrong--very pleased--Pittsburgh has yet to show they can beat the Ravens, who visit the former Steel City next Sunday night. If the Steelers can handle Baltimore on the national stage, they can be considered the class of the AFC. Not before.

But for now, let's enjoy the victory over the Patriots. The Steelers beat the Pats in every phase of the game. If there was a problem, it was that New England remained in the game to the end. Had the Steelers been able to score red-zone touchdowns--even one--instead of field goals in the second half, this game would have been a blowout. That it wasn't is a testament to the Patriots, a team the Steelers very well could see again in the playoffs.

The Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) won again, making the AFC North a formidable division. Early in the year, everyone counted the two Cincy games as easy wins. That hasty conclusion now must be revised, and what appeared to be a relatively easy 2011 schedule has been recast. There are four challenging games left in the regular season: the two with Cincinnati, San Francisco, and next week's contest with Baltimore, which is a must-win any way you cut it. With all this competition, it's going to be a great season after all!

God abandons Tebow
A fickle Yahweh, whose spirit surrounded Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow for a few minutes last week, threw his young zealot to the lions yesterday. The Detroit Lions defense ate Tebow alive in the Broncos 45-10 home-field loss. The lesson is clear: It takes more than prayer to win in the NFL.

Penis pumping judge
On entirely different note, did you hear about Oklahoma judge who served 20 months in prison after being caught using a penis pump to masturbate while his court was in session? Apparently the conviction itself flew under the radar, but the news last week was that the Oklahoma Supreme Court decided that Judge Donald Thompson doesn't deserve his $7,789 judicial pension.

The judge was convicted of indecent exposure after using the penis pump to masturbate in court "almost daily." The investigation turned up semen residue on the floor, his judicial robes, and on the chair behind his bench. Just when you think you've seen everything . . . .

Republican goals met
With Republican candidates and Tea Party activists doing everything they can to make life easier for the nation's wealthy, news broke last week that showed important gains for the rich and their political pawns.

The Congressional Budget Office published numbers revealing that the after-tax income of the top 1 percent of American households nearly quadrupled (up 275 percent) between 1979 and 2007. During the same time period, middle-income folks saw just a 40 percent increase, and bottom dwellers increased their "wealth" by just 18 percent.

Republican candidates and Tea Partiers keep calling the rich "job creators," yet there is little evidence that they are creating jobs with all their money. Hmmm.

Speaking of populist frauds
After appearing with the Occupy Wall Street crowd, propagandist/filmmaker Michael Moore had to admit that he is part of the 1 percent. Moore then went on to talk about how he distributed his newfound wealth to charities after the success of his 1989 film Roger and Me. He didn't say what he's done with his fortune since then.

Nevertheless, Moore continues to strut around in his working-class costume attempting to convince the 99 percent that he is one of them.

Football and politics

2011-10-25T10:10:00.003-04:00

by M. Stewart
The talk of the NFL today will be the Baltimore Ravens offensive collapse in last night's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens 12-7 national TV loss puts the Pittsburgh Steelers in first place in the AFC North, at least for now.

It's been a long time since I've seen any team, let alone the Ravens, go an entire first half without a first down. Quarterback Joe Flacco looked like a confused rookie, which no doubt will add fuel to Baltimore fans' tenuous relationship with the inconsistent, emotionless passer.

The Jaguars offense didn't look much better, but aside from one drive late in the game, the Jacksonville defense shut the Ravens down completely. Baltimore had something like 16 total yards in the first half, which is a feat worthy of the Cleveland Browns, whose 6-3 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday was one of the worst NFL games ever.

If the Steelers somehow manage to beat the New England Patriots this coming weekend at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh will face the Ravens the following week as the best team in the AFC, but that's a big "if." Beating the Patriots is unlikely, and you know Baltimore isn't going to have another game like last night's.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady always finds a way to beat Pittsburgh, so on the surface, it's easy to assume that he will do it again on Sunday, but this Baltimore loss may inspire the Steelers to bring their A+ game against the league's worst defense. As such, Pittsburgh knows it will have to outscore Brady's offense--a tall order, to be sure, but it can be done if the defense is able to disrupt the NE offense enough to keep the game within reach.

On the political front, it looks like Herman Cain's lead on Mitt Romney is for real. See story on latest poll here. For a few weeks now, national polls have placed Cain on top of a seriously weak Republican field. Rick Perry is done, as is Michele Bachmann, whose political gibberish has reached the point of no return. If you take the time to read this L.A. Times story on Bachmann, you'll see why.

So it looks like front runners Cain and Romney will battle it out for the Republican nomination. Even with the stalled economy, I suspect President Obama can beat either one of these guys in a general election by showcasing his national security record. Obama has turned out to be a military hawk, and a successful one at that, so the traditional Republican plank won't work this time, assuming there is no national security disaster between now and next November.

As for the economy, the Republicans have shown that they have nothing to offer beyond partisan heckling, and all of the candidates have gone out of their way to prove that they are puppets of the wealthy--the so-called 1 percent. I don't see any of these candidates gaining enough support to beat anyone in a general election.

But as I always say, there's a long way to go, and anything can happen. And that goes for football AND politics.

Finally, take a look at this photo spread from Time magazine on the fancy duds worn over the years by slain Libyan dictator Mohimar Gaddafi. I'd say Gaddafi qualifies as what we English speakers call a "fop," wouldn't you?

Gaddafi's video death

2011-10-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

by M. Stewart

The Digital-Age death of Libyan dictator Mohimar Gaddafi is as unsettling as it is satisfying. To be sure, this bloodthirsty tyrant deserved everything he got, but in the words of the Washington Post’s Philip Kennicott, “No matter how loathsome, a powerless person looking straight into the camera almost inevitably becomes sympathetic.”

There was something markedly barbaric about rebels dragging Gaddafi out of a pipe and finishing him off. Because some of the rebels had cell phones, the world was able to see the bizarre final moments of Gaddafi’s life on YouTube. As if following a movie script, one of the rebels took from the fallen tyrant a golden pistol that he proudly displayed as a personal souvenir of victory.

Everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before this international outlaw was hunted down and killed, but I assumed it would come at the point of a NATO bomb. It almost did. As I understand it, Gaddafi and a few remaining loyalists were in the process of fleeing by car from the site of their last stand—Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte—when a NATO bombing raid halted their flight, forcing them all to run for cover on foot.

Wounded by subsequent rebel gunfire, Gaddafi hid in a pipe underneath a small bridge. Once discovered, he reportedly begged for his life before he was dragged out and beaten to death. The jumbled video was so bad that it had to be real. Still, the international news media remained cautious about confirming the death based on the video evidence. After all, anything can be faked these days.

If we lived in the ancient world, someone would be hard at work composing an epic poem about the final days of Gaddafi, complete with gods and divine justice. Today, the drama is captured on a cell phone. Later, of course, we’ll all see the fictionalized Hollywood account of Gaddafi’s decline and fall.

What I will always remember is that picture of the defeated tyrant as he faced what surely he knew were the final moments of his life. It’s almost too real—like seeing something forbidden. Even a full day later, I’m not sure how I feel about such things, but it doesn’t matter how I feel. What is, is.

Gaddafi is dead. I saw him die with my own eyes from the other side of the world.

Exotic animals and Republicans

2011-10-20T09:15:00.000-04:00

by M. Stewart
I look forward to getting more details about the "exotic animal" fiasco in Zanesville. There must be an interesting story behind the owner who let the animals out before offing himself. Any way you cut it, the symbolism falls into the "stranger-than-fiction" category.

It's too bad that all the animals had to be killed, but there really was no other way to proceed given the danger they presented. Those cops will have a great story to tell their grandkids.

Elsewhere, the Republican presidential debates are getting interesting. Now that everyone has realized that Mr. Cain's allegedly "simple" 9-9-9 tax proposal will raise everyone's taxes except for the rich, his star will fade. Mr. Romney seems to be the most appealing candidate, while Mr. Perry looks more foolish with each passing day, if that's even possible.

Cain and Romney will be the last men standing.

Think you've seen everything?

2011-10-18T08:49:00.000-04:00

If you haven't seen this video of a Chinese child purposely run over by a car, you're probably better off. If you want to have a very misanthropic day, click here to see it.

Steelers get away with one

2011-10-17T09:39:00.017-04:00

by M. Stewart
The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to outlast the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 17-13 win on Sunday, and in professional sports, a win is a win, but Steelers fans are far from happy about it. Had Ben Roethlisberger been able to throw the ball to wide-open receivers with the accuracy of an average high-school quarterback, the Steelers would have won 49-0. Instead, it came down to the final play.

I listened to the 93.7 radio post-game call-in show, and the two hosts were all over Roethlisberger for his poor play, specificially in the Jacksonville game but also throughout the 2011 season. When callers initially were willing to cut Roethlisberger some slack with the "every-quarterback-has-a-bad-game" excuse, the hosts made fun of them as typical Steelers fans who refuse to criticize their star players.

When the tide turned and callers began challenging the hosts' insistence that despite the bad game, Roethlisberger remained an "elite" NFL quarterback, the hosts turned on them as well. No matter what side the callers came down on, the hosts called them idiots.

The major offender was Tribune-Review columnist and radio host Joe Starkey, whose aggressive insults to local fans and callers--you know, the people whose uncompensated contributions the entire station depends upon--should at least earn him a discussion with management. Starkey is out of control.

For what it's worth, here's what I think about Ben Roethlisberger:

More than anything else, NFL quarterbacks have to be accurate passers, and while over the long haul Ben has shown that he gets the job done as a passer, I don't see him as one of the elites. He has neither the consistency nor talent of a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers. I'm sorry, he just doesn't. In my mind, these are the elite quarterbacks. Ben is second tier, to be sure, but no more.

Yes, every quarterback has bad games, but yesterday's Jacksonville game still serves as a good example of what I'm talking about. The offensive line gave Ben plenty of time to throw, and receivers were routinely getting behind the secondary. In most cases, they were wide open, yet Ben couldn't deliver a catchable ball. This happened over and over, especially in the second half.

Given the same circumstances, I can't imagine any of the above-mentioned elite QB's blowing those chances, even on a bad day. I do not recall the Steelers ever having the kind of talent at wide receiver that they have now. These guys should be lighting up the scoreboard every week, but instead the Steelers manage just 17 points against one of the worst teams in the league.

Here's the question everyone is asking: Is this team good enough to beat any genuine contender? How many more bad days can Ben Roethlisberger have if the Steelers hope to make the playoffs?

Baltimore blew away the Steelers in week one. In turn, Pittsburgh smacked down a bad Seattle team the next week but barely got away with a win in week three against injury-plagued Indianapolis--a team that has yet to win a single game. In week four, the Steelers were beaten by a playoff-caliber Houston team 17-10 only to punish Tennessee the next week. The win against a very weak Jacksonville team leaves the Steelers with a 4-2 record, which is pretty good given the year Roethlisberger is having.

Six games in, here are my picks for the rest of the season:

7. PIT @ AZ (This is a shaky pick. The Cardinals could win this one.)
8. NE @ PIT (No-brainer)
9. BAL @ PIT (Steelers can't stop Ray Rice.)
10. PIT @ CIN (Cincy is surprising everyone. They will split with the Steelers.)
11. Bye
12. PIT @ KC (The Chiefs were a bad team when they beat the Steelers before.)
13. CIN @ PIT (Like I said, a split.)
14. CLE @ PIT (The Browns are not a professional football team.)
15. PIT @ SF (This could be a blowout.)
16. StL @ PIT (The Rams are about as good as Jacksonville. Pick 'em.)
17. PIT @ CLE (See above.)

If my predictions are accurate, the Steelers will end the season 10-6, which will not win the division but could possibly get them a wild-card spot. Clearly Baltimore is the class of the AFC North this year, and this very well could be a Super Bowl year for them. I must remind myself, however, that about this point in the season last year, I picked Baltimore to win it all. Things can change, and they often do.

A Trip to the East Liverpool Water Works

2011-10-10T10:54:00.002-04:00

Wetzel show runs through October

2011-10-10T07:48:00.001-04:00

Mary Patterson Gallery hours Tuesdays 6-8 p.m., Fridays noon to 3 p.m., and by appointment.

Craig Wetzel at Mary Pat Gallery Thursday

2011-10-04T10:28:00.004-04:00

East Liverpool artist Craig Wetzel opens the Ohio Valley Regional Arts Council Fall season Thursday night (Oct. 6) at Kent State's Mary Patterson Gallery.

The artist's reception is 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free food and drink. Don't miss this one! Check out the artist's web site for more images and information.

Craig also is offering a Fundamentals of Painting class beginning Oct. 20. Click here for more details.

A walking, talking stereotype

2011-10-04T09:58:00.000-04:00

Whistling in the dark

2011-10-03T07:27:00.002-04:00

by M. Stewart
Of all the Pittsburgh Steelers' losses over the past several years, none has felt like yesterday's loss to Houston. This one felt like the end of an era.

Just four games into the season, most Steelers fans are wondering how they're going to make it through the remaining 12 games watching what appears to be a team full of wealthy has-beens who can no longer man up.

We all wrote off the opening-day debacle in Baltimore as one of those fluke "head" games. We said it was Baltimore's Super Bowl--a game the Ravens were obsessed with the entire off season. The Seattle game seemed to set everything right until Pittsburgh went to Indianapolis, which, despite the win, revealed serious problems with the defense. Yesterday's loss to Houston magnified those problems.

Ben Roethlisberger injured his foot near the end of Sunday's game and may not be able to play next week against Tennessee. Operating behind one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history, Ben is lucky he's not in a wheelchair. Throw in a defense that can't stop the run or the pass, and you realize that this is going to be a long season.

What's so frightening to fans is that the problem is physical. Star players don't seem to be able to play anymore. They're getting pushed around, run over, beat up. They just aren't up to it. Great teams like Green Bay, Baltimore, and New England look invincible compared to the Steelers, who can't even match up with second- and third-tier teams. At this point, beating the Tennessee Titans seems impossible.

Head coach Mike Tomlin certainly has his work cut out for him. I'm not sure what the solution is, but it isn't coaching, strategy, or preparation. If your players can't execute on either side of the ball, if they can't score points or stop the other team, they can't win.

I hope I'm being overly dramatic and that Tomlin will find a way to right the ship, but I'm not holding my breath. When your problem is personnel, you have to start by changing personnel. The obvious thing, then, is to sit down some unproductive veterans and let the younger guys have at it. After all, a 2-2 record isn't so bad, and the schedule is comparatively weak. There is plenty of time left for good things to happen, right?

Or is that whistling in the dark?

East Liverpool Car Barn

2011-10-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

The good spin

2011-09-27T11:54:00.001-04:00

by M. Stewart

Wow, that was some downpour yesterday evening, eh? When I tried to get into my car after work, I couldn’t even get close. All of the cars parked on the east side of Carnegie Library were close to being swept away by the flash flood, but it didn’t last long.

Once the waters receded there, I drove through the corner of Walnut and Bradshaw, which was completely submerged. As it turned out, the flooded intersection was easier to navigate than the dry one. A city official told me recently that the stalled Bradshaw paving project would be completed soon. : )

The state Route 11/39 project is in its final stages. That means we’ll have a nice smooth highway to drive on for a year or so before the potholes appear and the weeds take over. But for now, it’s good, and there is nothing like the present. : )

Closer to home, a derelict house on my street finally collapsed last week, which means we're one step closer to the Earth swallowing the place. The house down the hill that burned a couple years ago still sits there. Perhaps last night's rain and wind knocked it over. The abandoned house at the end of the block has become a hangout for local teens. Now they have someplace to meet. : )

A gang of local drug addicts spent yesterday morning carrying stuff out of one of the abandoned houses across the street. There was a time when I would have said something. Now I just turn away and mind my own business. At least things are happening. : )

The screaming hillbillies who summered in the duplex across St. Clair seem to have disappeared. My hope is that the slumlord who owns the house will find it financially beneficial to burn the place down. Half the properties on lower St. Clair have been condemned. In Liverpool, we see this as progress. : )

Finally, the Kent State construction projects on Walnut Street and the corner of Broadway and East Fourth are moving along. Razing the Smith building was only the beginning. The university is putting in an attractive green space/parking lot on that corner that should be completed by mid-October. Good things are happening in East Liverpool. : )

More Renaissance

2011-09-25T10:42:00.007-04:00

Hats and bells

Toward the village gate

Melody Gustafson

Kim Schneider with pirate woman statue

Skidmark, the town beggar

Long shadows in late afternoon Sun

The bell maestro

Pittsburgh Renaissance Fair

2011-09-20T11:49:00.003-04:00

Hubbard 53 Potters 7

2011-09-17T09:23:00.004-04:00

The final two points came from a safety scored by Hubbard's JV defense.

This is what a 53-7 game looks like to an 0-4 team. Still, our kids played hard against a clearly superior opponent. If the players never gave up, it sure seemed like the coaches did. Behind by 40 points, the Potters brain trust remained committed to the running game. Go figure. Hey, we shouldn't support our student athletes only when they win. I hope more folks will come out next Friday to support the Potters when they play Struthers at Patterson Field. (Click to enlarge.)

The home-side bleachers at the start of the fourth quarter.

Memory

2011-09-12T09:24:00.004-04:00

A sky god's view of NYC on 9/11/01

by M. Stewart

Given the Pittsburgh Steelers’ "complete betrayal of the franchise and their fans" on Sunday, one thing I’m thankful for is the end of the 9/11 anniversary media coverage, but even that’s going to take a while longer. Now it’s time for the coverage of the coverage of the 9/11 anniversary.

Don’t get me wrong, I agree with the whole “we will never forget” theme, but only the 10–and-under crowd needs to be reminded. The rest of us can’t forget, even if we try. What the 9/11 anniversary has become is just another reliable news week for journalists, another maudlin opportunity for everyone to wave a flag for the cameras. And don’t forget to buy your 9/11 commemorative T-shirt, baseball cap, sentimental statue, or genuine gold coin from the Franklin Mint.

I heard a TV preacher tell his armchair congregation that 9/11 was a wake-up call from God, telling Americans that we had become complacent by accommodating the followers of Satan (Muslims) and that we must never forget that it’s America’s duty to lead the fight against evil. Apparently God tells televangelists these things so they can relay the message.

With the cosmic battle of good v. evil going on all around me, I sat down Sunday at 1 p.m. to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens play football. When the Steelers play the Ravens, either team can win. Like all Steelers fans, I don’t get particularly upset when Pittsburgh loses because I know they will win the next game and in the playoffs. That’s just the way it is. Either way, fans on both sides know that they can count on a great game—a classic nail-biter decided in the final minute by a field goal or heroic touchdown.

Instead, what Steelers fans got on Sunday was a cruel joke. The Ravens controlled the game from the first play. It was over in two minutes.

Listening to Pittsburgh fans bellyache on a local sports talk radio show after the game, I came away not with an urge to join “Steeler Nation” in mass depression, but with a renewed faith in the simple fact that becoming emotionally involved in the performance of millionaire athletes is absurd. For them, losing the big game means very little. They still got paid more on that single day than most of their emotional fans will earn in a lifetime. For the professional athlete, losing is just a bad day at the office.

Let’s face it, the Steelers didn’t suddenly become too old to play, as many of the pundits who predicted them to win said after the game. Yesterday’s loss to the Ravens doesn’t mean there is a “shift of power” in the division, as nfl.com declared. The victory doesn’t make the Ravens the best team in the league. It was just one of those days.

The over-10 crowd knows that a flip of the coin can put a team on either end of such a game. They know that a single football game is easy to forget because it doesn’t matter. The team will get a chance at redemption—many chances.

I wish religions would compete on the football field and that God didn't have to kill so many people and do so much property damage merely to send a message to the televangelists. Wouldn't a simple email or text do the job? Should we not assume that the omnipotent, omniscient creator and ruler of the universe has access to a smart phone or laptop?

I guess that's a silly question.

You probably thought only humans killed with guns

2011-09-10T00:34:00.000-04:00

A Student’s First Experience at The Commons at Kent State University

2011-09-08T10:18:00.000-04:00

by Helen Smith

On May 4, 1970 the lives of the students of Kent State University were changed forever. Four students were shot and died as a result of their injuries, nine students were injured and survived, the end to the result of what started out as a peaceful demonstration due to the invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

Although I was not alive during this time frame, I was born a few years later, visiting The Commons area at Kent State was something that I had always wanted to do. Upon setting foot in this area, it was almost like watching a movie play out, and you were the third person on the side and not a part of the action. It was almost in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n.

You could almost see the students sitting on the grassy area, singing. You could feel the presence of the National Guard, and at one point, could almost smell the sulfur from when they had fired their weapons upon the crowd. There they are in their fatigues, and their shields. Sixty-seven shots, and 13 seconds later, there was one dead, and 12 injured. The remaining 3 died later on that day as a result of their injuries. The 9 that lived to tell the tale will be physically and mentally injured for the rest of their lives.

The Commons will be forever hallowed ground. It is a place that should be remembered for the actions that took place here, and not to ever forget them. Four students lost their lives here, and 9 will never forget what was taken from them.

Jeffery Miller, Allison Krause, William Shroeder, and Sandra Sheuer, four names that will be forever remembered in time. Also remembered, but not forgotten are: Joseph Lewis, Jr,, John R. Cleary, Thomas Grace, Alan Canfora, Dean Kahler, Douglas Wrentmore, James Russell, Robert Stamps, and Donald MacKenzie.

Throughout his adult life, Alan Canfora has worked to find out the complete truth regarding what has happened over the course of those 4 days. He has been one of the most outspoken students that was injured that day, and considers it to be a “Government cover-up”. Canfora had discovered a tape in a library archive that proved that there was an order to fire in 2010.

If you would like more information about May 4, 1970, visit the Kent State University web site at: http://www.library.kent.edu/page/11247.

Baby preacher

2011-09-01T23:09:00.002-04:00

The Beatles "Revolution" (live)

2011-09-01T21:41:00.001-04:00

The Republicans need an electable candidate

2011-09-01T08:35:00.001-04:00

by M. Stewart

From what I’ve seen so far of the Republican presidential field, the party seems to be banking on the idea that the entire electorate is sympathetic to radical religious, tea-party right wingers. With the possible exception of Mitt Romney, moderate Republicans have decided to drink the right-wing Kook-Aid. They have demonstrated that they will adopt whatever philosophy they think is popular. I suspect Romney will do the same, and if he does, he might win the party nomination, but that’s as far as it will go.

Rick Perry, who apparently thinks he’s a prophet sent from God, is not general election material. The "wacky Texan" thing has run its course. And the women? Michelle Bachmann? Sarah Palin? Beyond their core supporters, these people are embarrassing comic relief. Do the Republicans have any serious female candidates? To the party's shame, the answer is no.

The problem with the contemporary Republican Party is that it has focused so much on defeating Obama that it no longer cares what is good for the country. Instead, the Republicans have decided to follow the creed of entertainers like Limbaugh, Beck, and the Fox “news” crowd, who make a living preaching to the choir against the president. They want the economy to continue to stagnate, and they’ll do anything they can to keep it that way. This obstructionist approach is obvious to most people. For these people, the worst-case scenario is a shrinking unemployment rate and a growing economy. What’s bad for the country is good for Republicans. That game might play well on the talk shows, but it won't fly in a presidential election.

For his part, President Obama has been a disappointment to the political center and left that voted him into office, but not for the same reasons the Republicans would have us believe. The problem with Obama is that he is way too eager to give in to right-wing demands, which makes him look weak. With the exception of his health-care initiative, Obama has bent to the right on nearly every issue. Apparently he thinks that if he gives ground, he’ll win the support of the right, which we all know isn’t ever going to happen. Right-wing support of a black president? Not even when Hell freezes over. And then there is Obama's insistence on continuing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Virtually every American thinks it's long past time let those people fend for themselves.

The mistake Republicans make is thinking that disappointment with Obama will translate into votes for tea-party candidates in the general election. Everybody saw what happened in the mid-terms when a bunch of amateur tea-party ideologues got elected to Congress. It brought the country to a laughable standstill. I don’t think the electorate will make the same mistake twice. Let’s face it; pretty much anyone can get elected to Congress. Why do you think the terms are set at just two years?

No doubt the upcoming presidential election will be interesting, and Obama certainly is vulnerable, but the Republicans have yet to show that they can present a candidate that a majority can support. For Democrats, a best-case scenario is a Rick Perry nomination. Romney, on the other hand, could cause problems, but only if he doesn’t sell out to the crazies.

Some obvious questions

2011-08-30T22:27:00.003-04:00

Why don’t characters on television and in movies say “goodbye” when ending phone conversations? More often than not, they just stop talking and hang up.

Why do hurricanes look and move like spiral galaxies?

If God (Yahweh, Allah, etc.) is real, why doesn’t he just show himself?

Given the number of birds we see in the sky every day, and assuming that every bird eventually dies, why don’t we see more dead birds on the ground?

Given that Republicans tend not to believe that government should be involved in the free market, why do they blame Democratic presidents for not doing enough to improve the economy?

If human beings do not evolve, why are there so many different races?

Why do men have nipples?

Given that all living organisms poop, why is it that only humans need to wipe their butts?

Why do people claim to see ghosts only at night? Do ghosts sleep during the day?

Given that Earth’s moon (Luna) and its star (Sol) are wildly different in size, what are the chances that they would appear exactly the same size in our sky?

Why is it illegal to get high but legal to get drunk? And given the amount of crime associated with illegal drugs and the amount of money spent fighting illegal drug activity, not to mention that the illegality of drugs stops no one from using them, why aren’t all drugs made legal?

Why is it that so many religious people advocate capital punishment but abhor abortion? And why is it that religious parents are more likely to advocate corporal punishment of children than secular parents?

Why are Chinese communists so good at capitalism?

Why do we spend so much time and money trying to extend human life only to lock up our elderly population in nursing homes?

Why is it legal to drive a motorcycle that makes so much noise it shakes your house and wakes up the entire neighborhood, but it’s illegal to drive a car with a defective muffler?

Why isn’t there a pill that keeps our hair from turning gray?

Why do tornados appear only in the continental United States?

Why does “burn up” and “burn down” mean the same thing?

If Adam and Eve were the first humans and they had only male children, where did everyone else come from?

Why does virtually every living organism on Earth (plants and spiders excluded) have two eyes? Given the obvious survival advantage, why don’t we have eyes in the back of our head?

Given that glass is made of sand, and there is virtually an endless supply of sand on the planet, why do we put everything in plastic bottles made of expensive petroleum?

Be back soon

2011-08-22T09:07:00.001-04:00

I've been taking a break from writing on ORL (obviously), but I'll be getting back to it soon.

Everything is fitting into place!

2011-08-15T14:45:00.010-04:00

The Ohio River at East Liverpool

2011-08-12T04:07:00.008-04:00

Anyone seen this helicopter?

2011-08-10T19:30:00.002-04:00

If anyone in the Midland, Ohioville, Georgetown, Shippingport, Lawrenceville areas or East Liverpool's East End should happen to run across the remains of this long-range flying machine, please call 330-368-6009. The owner is offering a "handsome reward." The aircraft got away from its operator Tuesday evening during test flights at the Broadway Wharf and most likely ran out of power and fell to the ground in one of the areas mentioned above.

God is from Texas

2011-08-07T11:56:00.004-04:00

It's not about him; it's about Jesus.

From the old Crockery City Brewery in East Liverpool

2011-08-06T19:26:00.001-04:00

"Islam and Shariah unstoppable in Europe"

2011-08-06T09:12:00.004-04:00

Appalachian recycling in downtown East Liverpool

2011-08-04T10:13:00.000-04:00

Morning Journal editorial is required reading

2011-08-01T11:48:00.007-04:00

by M. Stewart

East Liverpool residents should read the Morning Journal editorial titled “Other board members were wrong to censure Wolf.” Not only do I agree with what it says about the East Liverpool Board of Education and the Open Meetings Act, I think it points out a problem that all too many area school boards and public bodies exhibit—namely, that dissention is a bad thing that should be squashed for its own sake.

Dick Wolf is a person who isn’t afraid to fight for what he believes, and I am convinced that his willingness to inspire public debate on important issues has nothing to do with his ego. Most of the time he is right, and too often the resistance comes from others who display little knowledge of the issues and are more than willing to hide their ignorance by rubber stamping anything that comes their way.

Superintendents work for the school board and, by extension, the citizenry—not the other way around. That doesn’t mean the board should be directly involved in running the day-to-day operations of the district. What it does mean is that it’s the superintendent’s job to convince an informed board that his policy initiatives are valid and progressive. The board represents the public interest, not that of the administration. Too many public board members imagine themselves to be part of administration. [For the worst local example of this, see the Buckeye Water District Board of Trustees.]

To vote wisely on policy, board members must be intellectually alive and fully engaged. They have to study issues and be willing to learn how public education works. Most certainly they shouldn’t rubber stamp resolutions and punish dissent merely to avoid the appearance of controversy. Show me a public body that operates without controversy, and I’ll show you a politically dead community. In public life, passivity is dysfunction.

I know Dick Wolf as an intelligent, articulate man who isn’t afraid to resist the status quo. At the same time, members of political bodies must convince their colleagues that their positions are viable. To get things done, one has to build coalitions and convince a majority, and that isn’t always going to happen. You win a few and lose a few, and along the way you learn the art of compromise. Deals get made. That’s what politics is, and make no mistake about it, school board members are politicians—that is, they are elected public officials who represent constituents.

If a given board is made up of active, inquisitive, serious people, there are going to be disagreements and debates; however, to censure a single member for refusing to go along with the prevailing groupthink is foolish and detrimental to system. If that single member is insane, overly dogmatic, or excessively egotistical, that’s another story. But Dick Wolf is none of these—far from it.

Having said that, Mr. Wolf must find a better way to build coalitions on the board. At the same time, the board should start paying more attention to its most learned and distinguished member. Wolf is right about the Open Meetings Act. At the same time, it’s downright unethical for any board member to make public any private statement made by a colleague about anyone. It’s the rest of the board that comes out of this recent controversy looking like dishonest, untrustworthy schemers, not Mr. Wolf.

I am glad Dick Wolf is on our board of education. I feel comfortable knowing that we have someone willing to paddle upstream and combat dysfunctional groupthink. Is he always right? Of course not; nobody is. Is he someone whose ideas should always be taken seriously? Absolutely.

Multiculturalism

2011-08-01T00:04:00.000-04:00

Give the Tea Party what it wants (and more)

2011-07-30T11:42:00.000-04:00

I kind of doubt if President Obama reads ORL, but if he does, let me offer a way out of the debt crisis--one that would ensure that Democrats would win the next election cycle by landslide margins: GIVE THE TEA PARTY EVERYTHING IT WANTS.

In other words, cut ALL entitlement programs. To name several:

No more welfare of any kind.
No more social security and disability checks.
No more military pensions or lifelong access to health care for military personnel.
No more more grants and federally backed student loans.
No more federal funding for the arts.
No more federal funding for scientific studies.
No more corporate welfare of any kind (no government contracts).
No more tax exemption for churches.
No more tax exemptions for the wealthy, the middle class, working class, the poor, or corporations.

The hip hijab for today's woman

2011-07-29T23:38:00.001-04:00

Blondie: Not living in the real world (1979)

2011-07-27T18:36:00.003-04:00

More from PNC Park

2011-07-27T16:47:00.003-04:00

Information rehab

2011-07-27T09:23:00.005-04:00

by M. Stewart

Recently I’ve been thinking about entering a news and information rehab program. The Information Age is wearing me down.

Today is like most other days. I start by drinking coffee and reading the news. In simpler times, I would grab the local newspaper from the front porch and spend a few minutes looking it over. Nowadays, I start by downloading and reading my .pdf edition of the Post-Gazette; next I look at the online editions of The Review and Morning Journal; next I check Google News and Newser, followed by a look at the NPR and Washington Post web sites.

There is something wrong with me.

What I find is mostly bad news: Politicians continue to think up new ways to destroy the country; religious nuts continue to persecute and kill innocent people; our water, air, land, and food continue to be poisoned by wealthy men who can't get enough; the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and everybody else is distracted by electronic gadgets from China.

My values are not represented in the news. What I think is important most people don't care about. Instead of connecting me to the human community, the news makes me feel like an isolated freak. There’s just too much information out there, and my brain simply cannot process all this stuff without anxiety and discomfort. I need to take Henry Thoreau's advice and "simplify."

But every once in a while the acquisition of new information gives birth to a moment of clarity—an epiphany—something that changes you forever. Some little piece of trivia jumps up, throws itself down your throat and won’t come out. I am on a constant search for these moments, which is why I am an information addict.

As I was reading through today’s bad news, I came across a short piece titled “Bidding War for Casey Anthony Interview Hits $1.5M.” In my country, a Florida woman can get away with killing her own child and then become a wealthy celebrity because of it. Then I thought of the Georgia woman who was tried and convicted of vehicular homicide after her child was killed by a hit-and-run driver.

I need a break—some time to get clean.

Sunday afternoon at PNC Park

2011-07-25T09:15:00.002-04:00

A hot Saturday at Broadway Wharf

2011-07-24T08:46:00.000-04:00

Recent pics

2011-07-21T06:46:00.000-04:00

1. Geoff Schneider & Kim Schneider on the Fourth of July. 2. St. Clair & Broadway from the J.C. Thompson Bldg. 3.Interior shaft in the Thompson Bldg. 4. The Diamond from the Thompson Bldg.

J.C. Thompson building East Liverpool

2011-07-15T15:13:00.001-04:00

by M. Stewart
We enjoyed going through the J.C Thompson building (1892) on East Liverpool's Diamond last Saturday, but I was stunned at the poor condition of the upper floors. The neglect is so extensive that saving the building would require significant investment, and we all know that isn't going to happen in East Liverpool, especially beginning with $60,000 asking price.

To be honest, I didn't shoot many pictures inside the building. Virtually every room in the place was completely trashed--so much so that it was hard to imagine what it must have been like before it was left to rot. Unfortunately, downtown East Liverpool has an overabundance of property owners who care nothing about the city or its historical assets. We are the complete opposite of places like Marietta, Lisbon, Salem, and Beaver. In those towns, historic buildings are considered treasures that people of means and character are eager to own and maintain.

How news organizations promote scammers

2011-07-11T12:49:00.026-04:00

by M. Stewart
One of the primary concerns of a legitimate news organization is maintaining credibility, but for-profit news vendors also must make money. What makes the news business somewhat unique is that these two requirements often are at odds.

When the agendas of advertising departments and newsrooms collide, legitimate news organizations always come down on the side of news values rather than risk their hard-to-earn but easy-to-lose credibility. These days, it's easy to spot the frauds--that is, those news organizations that will sell their credibility to any bidder, not just the highest. But is there anyone left who cares?

Case in point:

Below is a screen capture of an unidentified Ohio newspaper web site. The story is a standard one designed to warn the public about a scam that involves people posing as local health inspectors. Newspapers love it when a story like this drops into their laps because it gives them a chance to look like they are guarding the public interest.

Now take a look at the "advertisements" that surround the news story. All these ads are generated by scam artists operating from points unknown. They are localized by software that immediately discerns your location based upon your IP address. The local newspaper has no idea who these "advertisers" are, nor does it care. What it does know is that if its readers click those ads, a little bit of money comes its way. If the reader is stupid enough to fall for one of the advertised scams, too bad. It's not the news organization's fault. At least that's what the newspaper people would say.

What is the difference between the health inspector scam described in the news story and "19yr old stock market wizard makes his first million using this #1 penny stock site," or "Ohio: Mom discovers $9 insurance trick," or "East Liverpool: Mom makes Botox Doctors Furious"?

Answer: no difference whatsoever. And this is hardly an isolated example.

Did you also notice that the news story is written by "submitted story"? Most likely it is an unverified news release submitted by the Sandusky County Health Department or the unidentified "law enforcement officials" mentioned in the story. The news organization doesn't think it's important to tell us who submitted the story. Chances are it was printed just as it was received. And do you suppose anyone at the newspaper even noticed the irony of printing a story warning the public about a scam while promoting several others on the same page?

I'm wondering if anyone involved in this "news organization" has ever heard of journalism. One thing is certain: No journalist was involved in producing this story. And by the way, feel free to accept the invitations of the scam artists that advertise on the site. The shareholders need the money.

Welcome to the world of robot news.

The old East Liverpool Elks building

2011-07-10T13:06:00.011-04:00

by M. Stewart

My photography friends and I spent some time in the old East Liverpool Elks building on Fifth Street Saturday. The building is in great shape, even though an attempt to remodel the rooms on the second floor seems to have been abruptly halted and left unfinished. Along with the second-floor mess, there is a good deal of Christian graffiti on the walls, and all of the French doors on the first floor offices have been removed. However, most of the building is clean and in excellent condition.

I assume that the Leetonia preacher who had plans to start a Christian drug and alcohol rehab facility there is responsible for the unfinished work. If you'll recall, out-of-town politicians were falling over each other to support that boondoggle until it died on the vine. Like all of state Rep. Craig Newbold's local business ventures, the result was yet another abandoned downtown building.

Anyhow, here are some of the pics I took inside the Elks, from the front porch, and from across the street. This building speaks of a time when social organizations like the Elks were vital components of a thriving community, and while the grandiose structure remains in very good condition, it won't be for long. The Elks Club itself now is located on Broadway in an unattractive building that used to be a tavern.

Truth, justice, and the American Way

2011-07-05T22:13:00.004-04:00

So . . .

If you want to kill your child and get away with it, do it in Florida. But that doesn't take anything away from our own Columbiana County, Ohio. This remains the best place to kill an adult and get away with it.

Some suggestions:

--Blow an old man's head off with a shotgun. Steal vehicle and checkbook. Go to Calcutta and start writing checks.

--Put two bullets in boyfriend's brain. Distribute boyfriend's money.

--Shoot wife. Call daddy.

--Kill friend. Put body in back seat and drive. Toss body in creek. Drive back home.

--Shoot man. Leave car running. Walk away.

On the political scene, I see where Mitt Romney is saying that President Obama has made the recession worse. Romney and other Republican candidates are counting on voters having amnesia and seeing Republican economic policies as the answer to our problems. The facts, of course, tell an entirely different story.

Meanwhile, Wall Street Journal analysts are forecasting excellent second-quarter corporate profits. The publication says earnings for companies in the S&P 500 will be up 13.6 percent over the same quarter last year. I guess the stubbornly high unemployment figures for us regular folks is the fault of unions and President Obama. Remember: UP is DOWN. And never trust those commie Dems!

As for those actually responsible for the recession, their salaries are way up too. Executive salary data firm Equilar reports that corporate chief executives are making 23 percent more than they did in 2009. The average CEO in the United States now pulls down $10.8 million per year.

Let us all eat cake.

Rebekah del Rio from Mulholland Drive

2011-07-02T20:54:00.003-04:00

Hate and redemption

2011-06-29T10:02:00.001-04:00

by M. Stewart
Right wing talk show host Glenn Beck has claimed that his family was harassed at a showing of Alfred Hitchcock's "39 Steps" in New York's Bryant Park. Beck said that someone purposely threw a glass of wine on his wife, pointed their fingers and made disparaging remarks about conservatives, and took photographs of his family.

On his radio program, Beck said he was "a little surprised" at the "hatred" people "spewed" toward him. To me, that's the genuinely funny part. Here is a guy who makes millions on broadcast TV constructing elaborate paranoid fantasies designed to inspire hate among his already deluded audience, yet he doesn't understand how anyone could dislike him.

The woman who allegedly threw wine on Mrs. Beck told news outlets that nothing could be further from the truth. She claimed instead that a half glass of wine was accidentally kicked over, and some of it spilled onto Beck's wife. To hear Glenn tell it, an angry mob of liberals confronted him and assaulted his wife with wine.

Struggling to hold back tears (or more likely struggling to summon them), Beck went on to talk about his American-flag blanket, about his daughter who allegedly asked tear-jerker-movie-style questions about the horrifying experience in the park, and about how he and his wife held hands throughout the ordeal of watching the movie. The maudlin, overblown performance was typical of Beck. His narcissism and megalomania are textbook.

Ironically, the guy who hates everybody ended his segment with a hymn to love and forgiveness for those hateful people who "attacked" his family. Here is a transcribed section of the sermon:

"All I can think of about the people around me all night was I feel sorry for you. I really feel sorry for you because here you are 25 years old and you are so lost, you are so arrogant, and so convinced that you are absolutely 100 percent right, and you are helping build a system that is fueled by hate. You're being used and you don't even know it, and by the time you wake up it may be too late for you to get out.

"You're building a system fueled by the very things you say you hate--special interests, the rich, the powerful, the global corporations--that's who's pulling your string. And by the time you wake up and see, will there be an escape route for you? The answer is yes. My family and I--who will accept you with open arms--my family and I and millions of other Americans will be standing there and saying, it doesn't matter what happened in the past, brother, it doesn't matter what you thought, it doesn't matter what you even did. What matters is that you're here now.

"Search for individual courage. Search for those moments when you are truly alone and sober. Search for those moments, and when you find them, do not pile into the rage. Find a way to love because in the end, only love remains. The only thing that is true is love. Everything else is a lie. Do not hate, love. That's the promise of America. That is the shining city on the hill that cannot and will not be hid."

All this because random people in a crowd of thousands spilled a little wine on Beck's wife, said some nasty things about conservatives, and took photographs of the media star and his family. I'm sure each and every one of those vicious people who heard this message have been redeemed.

At East Liverpool's Crooks building

2011-06-26T13:10:00.008-04:00

Crooks building on right.

Crooks building sixth-floor ceiling is pristine (never painted)

Click to enlarge. (M. Stewart)

Crooks building sixth floor.

Crooks building seventh floor (attic)

Image on Crooks building safe.

Buckeye School (old J.C. Penney) from sixth floor of Crooks bldg.

McCrory's building window.

Looking north from Crooks bldg. sixth floor.

How NOT to be a cop in a free society: PART 2

2011-06-24T17:57:00.004-04:00

Rochester, NY cops are at it again. This time they've decided to write tickets for citizens gathered to support Emily Good, who was charged by police for videotaping an arrest in front of her own home. For more video of Rochester cops acting like fools, check out Rochester Indymedia.

Thankfully, our East Liverpool cops don't act like this, but the Rochester PD must not mind becoming the laughing stock of the world, which is exactly what's happening thanks to digital media.

How NOT to be a cop in a free society

2011-06-23T14:25:00.002-04:00

From Saturday's Tech Council photo walk

2011-06-20T20:57:00.017-04:00

Click to enlarge. (M. Stewart)

Political humor

2011-06-20T12:36:00.016-04:00

by M. Stewart

Barack Obama impersonator, Reggie Brown, was interrupted and yanked from the stage while performing at a Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans over the weekend. Conservative news outlets have reported that Brown was escorted off the stage for telling racist jokes about the president, but if you were lucky enough to watch the video on YouTube before the clips were censored, it’s clear that Brown was yanked after he made jokes about Republican presidential candidates Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney. Apparently the Mormon polygamy joke was more than they bargained for.

In typical Republican style, the audience members were belly-laughing at the Obama jokes, but they became uncomfortable when Brown poked fun at their own candidates. I thought the Obama jokes were pretty funny, and I’d be willing to bet that the president would agree. The Pawlenty and Romney jokes were funny too, but the Republicans have done everything possible to make sure you never hear them. They’d rather you forget that their front-runner is a Mormon.

I was able to locate an uncensored version of some of Reggie Brown's performance. No one knows how long the uncensored clip will remain online. I suspect until the Republicans find out about it. Anyhow, here it is.

As most of you know, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner finally resigned in the midst of an ongoing internet sexting scandal. Of all the jokes that have been made about Weiner, the funniest by far was a verbatim reading of an exchange between the congressman and one of his online sex partners performed by Bill Mahr and Jane Lynch. Warning: the language is explicit. Of course it is! Otherwise, it wouldn’t be sexting.

Weiner’s resignation has left him unemployed, but none other than Hustler’s Larry Flynt has come to the rescue. Flynt wants Weiner to work for his internet department and is willing to pay 20 percent more than he made as a congressman. This just proves that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Given the circumstances, Weiner would be a fool to pass up this opportunity. See TMZ for the story.

It’s clear that the consequences of our actions depend upon the line of work we’re in. For example, it’s ok to have sex with children if you’re a Catholic priest, but it’s not ok if you’re a public school teacher. As Mr. Weiner knows, if you’re a male U.S. Congressman, it’s not ok to have a little private fun with your online girlfriends, but if you’re a female, you can get away with anything.

To prove my point, Sarah and Todd Palin’s film production company soon will release a straight-to-video movie titled Double Dildos at the Huntin’ Lodge featuring Sarah and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachman. The video was shot while the two were vacationing together in Wyoming last summer. I'm told that Sarah and Mickey have had a falling out since then.

The racy video originally was set for release just prior to last week's Republican presidential candidate debate, but the release was delayed after a routine continuity check revealed that former Vice President Dick Cheney was visible in the background of one of the outdoor bukkake scenes. Release of Double Dildos has been pushed back to July.

Finally, religious madness continues to spread throughout the world—both at home and abroad. According to a story at Ynet’s Jewish World, officials at a Jerusalem rabbinical court ordered local children to stone a stray dog to death because they believed the animal to be the reincarnation of a particularly troublesome secular attorney. The dog managed to escape without injury.

Those Middle Easterners sure seem to like stoning people (and animals). Americans just love their primitive religions, so maybe we should adopt their primitive execution practices as well. Stoning is bound to be cheaper than lethal injection, and those responsible for the death sentence could take part in the execution. After all, who wouldn’t want to throw stones at a murderer, a witch, or a necromancer? I know I would!

Living in the future

2011-06-17T10:59:00.014-04:00

Illustration of futuristic home by Fred McNabb (1956)

by M. Stewart

It has become commonplace these days to read about major computer system hacking incidents. At least once a week, we hear of a major security breach and data theft at some multinational corporation or government agency. Aside from private hackers, the Chinese government is ramping up its efforts to hack into military and government computer systems around the world, including ours. Of course they deny it; they always do. But the Chinese way is for the government to decide what reality is, and they get offended when you catch them in lies—as if that matters.

Clearly we have arrived at a new phase in the development of digital society. It finally has become clear even to the casual observer that no networked computer system is secure, and if someone really wants to bring a developed nation to its knees, the most efficient and effective way to do it is to take down its computer networks. Day after day, hackers around the world demonstrate how it can be done.

The Obama administration has responded by expanding military preparedness for cyber warfare both on the offensive and defensive side. Future wars will be waged with computers, and the most valued soldiers will be geeks. Already the United States employs robots on the battlefield, and they are very effective. (We call them “drones.”) The real question is one that science fiction authors have been asking for many years: How long will it be before machines take over? How far off is the Singularity?

Battlestar Cylon Model #6

Assuming you followed the link and know what “singularity” means, I’m going to suggest that while singularity won’t be coming anytime real soon, it’s clearly not too far away. Surely there will be a watershed moment--an event horizon--when we realize we have lost control, but what we have in front of us now is the process, and because singularity isn’t a matter of “if” as much as “when,” all we can do is focus on the implications of that process and prepare for it. Exposing yourself to good science fiction can help.

Like many other sci-fi narratives, the television series Battlestar Galactica depicts not a first-wave, but a second-wave singularity. The machines (known as Cylons) have evolved enough to create other “machines” that are for all intents and purposes flesh-and-blood humans. Aside from the cloning aspect of their creation, there is no appreciable difference between a second-generation Cylon and a human being. The modern Battlestar Galactica isn’t for non-thinkers. The philosophical implications of the series plot arc are complex and profound, especially given the precarious position we find ourselves in right here, right now in the 21^st century.

Those of us who are able to look beyond the short-sighted, exploit-everything-for-profit conservatism of our time understand that decisions we make today will affect humanity in the future. There is, however, an inevitability factor at work in some things, and our march toward singularity is one of them. Even as we warn ourselves against it, we employ the tools of our own destruction in the process.

If you have seen Battlestar Galactica, you know that one of the interesting ideas explored in the story is that the human starships do not use a networked computer system because that’s how the Cylons took over in the first place. While the symbolism of the non-networked fleet is compelling, one quickly realizes that the technology used in the story could not function without a highly sophisticated networked system. In fact, it doesn’t take much to realize that the human characters use networked computer systems all the time. I guess it’s a way of making a point without having to solve the narrative and technical problems that come with it. It is, after all, fiction.

The simple truth is that modern human life depends upon networked computers. A cursory comparison to the lives of our grandparents will reveal that we live and work extremely differently than they did. Almost everything we do involves a networked computer. Think about it. If our computers go down, we’re fucked. The paper and pencil world no longer exists. We’re already living in a science fiction world, and that’s not going to change.

What sort of creatures will we be just 20 years from now? How will we work and live our lives? Extend it to 50 or 100 years and the future is completely unpredictable. We need to fully comprehend the effect of this rapid change. The geometric expansion and dependence on technology has made our future opaque. Nowadays a person cannot prepare for a single career in life. By the time one is trained or educated in a field, everything has changed, and that’s the way it is now. It’s going to get worse—much worse.

I’m not suggesting that we fear the future. All I’m saying is that we should be thinking all the time about the effect of the decisions we make. Then again, maybe it doesn’t matter what we think. It could be that the die is cast and there is nothing we can do about anything. If that’s the case, perhaps the singularity event horizon already has occurred, and we have yet to realize it.

Political discourse in the USA

2011-06-15T11:17:00.002-04:00

Talk about nuts

2011-06-14T08:13:00.001-04:00

by M. Stewart

After his team lost the NBA finals in six games to the Dallas Mavericks, LeBron James claimed that his status as the most hated player in the league didn’t bother him. That’s why he decided to alienate even more of the little people by comparing their miserable lives to his own, which turns out to be that of a arrogant, deluded King of Choke.

The farce that is the continued analysis of Sarah Palin’s Alaska emails has revealed that American’s favorite media whore writes at an eighth-grade level. If you’ve seen her “tweets,” that seems like an exaggeration on the high side.

Here’s the worst part: According to a story at AOL Weird News, "[Palin] came in as a solid communicator," said Paul J.J. Payack, president of the Global Language Monitor. The emails registered as an 8.2 on his version of the test. "That's typical for a corporate executive."

If that doesn’t make you sick, nothing will.

It’s not enough for Fox News president Roger Ailes to call his employee “stupid.” In refusing Palin access to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during an upcoming visit to London, a Thatcher aide said the visit would be “inappropriate.” Why? Aside from the obvious class clash, the aide referred to Palin as “nuts.”

Talk about nuts . . .

Yours truly came within one mouse click of paying $75 per ticket to see the Pittsburgh Pirates play baseball. Mind you, I wouldn’t cross the street to see the Pirates even if the tickets were free, but a good friend and his son are visiting in July, and they are big Major League Baseball fans. I want to be a good host.

To get the seats my friends wanted, I was forced to go to the ticket-scalping site StubHub, where $35 seats sell for $75. I was ready to bite it and spend the $300 until I got to the final page, which listed $46 in processing fees. Because I was pretty damn sure that no one would be doing any “processing” in this transaction, I decided to back off. Screw it. This is Bob Nutting’s Pirates we’re talking about, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay $46 for the privilege of buying inflated tickets to see these chumps.

So I ended up buying $47 tickets through the Pirates’ web site. There I paid an $18 service charge plus an additional $4 for something called “order processing”—that is, a mere $22 for the privilege of buying the tickets. The total damage was $206. Hey, I did it for the kid, and that’s all that matters. Me? I'll take some pictures of the city and post them here.

What we listened to in high school

2011-06-13T21:52:00.005-04:00

River, street, and dome

2011-06-13T08:19:00.003-04:00

1. Ohio River at Rochester, Pa.
2. Old round bank and Travelers Hotel in East Liverpool.
3. U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Click to enlarge. (M. Stewart)

Media images

2011-06-11T15:17:00.008-04:00

by M. Stewart

Click to enlarge?

According to journalist Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard, the exodus of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s campaign staff was caused by the candidate’s wife, Callista. I normally make it a point to avoid commenting on a person's appearance, but the picture being circulated of Callista Gingrich is pretty scary. Think of that as your first lady!

Speaking of Republicans, the media—including the legitimate news media—have gone wild looking through Sarah Palin’s official email communications from her short stint as governor of Alaska. All the fuss has revealed nothing of substance, only that Palin is as obsessed with the media as the media are with her. Wowee, what a scoop!

Once again the media are complicit in promoting this ridiculous woman’s agenda. The release of these emails just happens to coincide with the release of Palin’s narcissistic film titled “The Undefeated.” When the New York Times and the Washington Post can be duped into promoting Palin’s agenda, we have to wonder where all the real journalists have gone.

That such a person can be taken seriously as a presidential candidate speaks of the depravity of our nation. We have reached the point where too many Americans can’t tell the difference between entertainment and politics. Lady Gaga, Lindsey Lohan, Sarah Palin: what’s the difference? I’ve seen the transformation happen before my eyes, and it has been a sad thing to watch. The rise of Sarah Palin makes me ashamed to be an American.

Speaking of depravity, Anthony Weiner is still hanging in there (so to speak), despite continued calls for his resignation by Nancy Pelosi, Fox News, etc. To be honest, I’d never heard of the guy before the recent sex scandal. I wonder if he’s an effective congressman? Does anyone know or care?

It doesn't matter anyway. Weiner is famous for sending racy pictures of himself to women he found on the internet, and that’s it. The pictures will represent his political legacy. Given the state of our media, I wonder if this would even be a story were it not for the pictures? The old cliché really is true: A picture is worth a thousand words.

Among the congressman’s stupid moves, the worst has to be sending out pictures of his chest and crotch with the assumption that as long as his face isn’t visible, he could not be identified—except, of course, for the shelf full of family photographs in the background. What a dumbass. What else can you say?

Trust no one

2011-06-09T08:42:00.001-04:00

by M. Stewart

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D-NY) recent photo scandal is that we still have elected federal officials who don’t understand the fundamentals of the internet. This is on top of the lying, the attempted coverup, the weepy public confession, the new wife’s pregnancy, and daily revelations of further online creepiness. Of course, Weiner’s determination not to resign is an open invitation to the rabid American celebrity media, which already has begun the process of eating him alive.

Given the circumstances, the best thing Weiner could have done is to admit it right away and claim that he isn’t ashamed of it. Instead of a weak, blubbering press conference convened for the purpose of admitting that he is a despicable liar, Weiner could have said something like, “Yeah, I flirt with women online, and sometimes we exchange sexy pictures. Is that illegal? Millions of other Americans do it. So what? I don’t actually have sex with them. It’s just a fantasy thing, and I’m not ashamed of it. My wife now knows about it, and if it’s a problem for her, we’ll deal with it privately.”

Ok, that’s hardly admirable, and it still makes Weiner a scumbag, but the path he has chosen is worse.

This case reminds me of the Brett Favre sexting scandal. Favre isn’t a U.S. congressman, I know, but he is way more famous than Anthony Weiner. A married man, Favre sent photographs of his bare peetie to a woman in an effort to lure her to his hotel room for real sex. Those pictures made it onto the internet, and for better or worse, America now knows exactly what Brett Favre’s penis looks like.

Favre’s response was to avoid discussing it, leaving the possibility (however remote) that he was innocent of the indiscretion. He let the story swirl around him, but he didn’t actually admit to it. He went on to play football for another season. In both the Weiner and Favre cases, the activities were unsavory but not illegal.

Then there is Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose real sexual exploits are well known. Ben didn’t bother with the internet; he went out on the prowl in three-dimensional space and ordered his people to bag a drunk girl for his sexual pleasure. He got away with it without resigning and went on to play in the Super Bowl.

But Anthony Weiner isn’t a football player, is he? He is a U.S. Congressman, and there should be different standards for him. Politics isn’t a sport, or at least it shouldn’t be. There is no one willing to pay a congressman millions of dollars to throw a football. If Weiner disappears, the team won’t suffer, and as soon as the next scandal appears, no one will remember his name.

Bill Clinton got away with getting blown by an intern in the oval office, but Anthony Weiner isn’t Bill Clinton. No, he comes across as a weak, foolish man who won’t be able to stand up to the pressure. My guess is that he will resign and run home to mommy, but that remains to be seen.

So is there anything average people can learn from the Weiner case? If you’re smart, probably not, but if you’re not, maybe it’s time to get smart. All of this assumes that you have a professional and/or social reputation that you want to keep intact. If you have nothing to lose and you don’t care what anyone thinks of you, it doesn’t matter.

Here are some tips to help keep you safe:

Don’t send pictures of your penis, vagina, tits or ass to anyone. Better yet, don’t even take pictures of these things. Still better, do not own a webcam. If there is one built into your computer, get another computer.

Avoid Facebook, Twitter, or any other “social media” web sites. These sites are trouble, and if you don’t think so, you’re a fool and something bad is coming your way. Count on it.

Never put your full name, address, email, or phone number on anything that is posted in a public spot on the internet. In fact, do everything you can to limit access to yourself. (Ever wonder why I’m just an “M”?)

Look at all the free internet porn you want, but avoid anything interactive and pay for nothing. Only total morons get out their credit cards and give their information to porn sites.

Assume there is a record of your every online mouse click and keystroke. Why? because there is.

Most importantly: Trust no one with your secrets and fantasies. No one. And certainly don’t post them online.

Good Friends: Joni Mitchell from the '80s

2011-06-03T23:56:00.000-04:00

Friday in East Liverpool

2011-06-03T17:13:00.004-04:00

Click to enlarge.