Tippecanoe

I don't understand the fascination the press has with people dying while somewhere near a print of the 'Passion' movie. This lady ran out in traffic on the way to the theatre. A priest died during a screening.

Just because their activity could be construed as pious, are they protected from harm? People die on the way to church, driving to youth retreats and tent revivals, and singing in gospel choirs. People also die while cheating on their spouse, gambling, and voting for Republicans. It's going to happen to all of us.

I hope I die while doing something I enjoy, but I'm sure the international press won't be reporting "Man falls off couch during Man Show reruns". (Just the good episodes with Jimmy and Adam, not that Fear Factor guy)

It's not that I don't like them - I think they are incomplete

To me, there are two things to a great musical performance: an interesting or groundbreaking composition/arrangement, and an inspired performance.

The songs that the contestants sing are all standards. They may have been new and different at one time, but all have been done to death. It's like watching a karaoke performance. The songs they've done post AI (at least those that I've heard) are written to follow the most basic of patterns and fashions. It's not songwriting; it's building a commodity product from well established and tested parts. "If I was invisible...", even after ignoring the grammar problems, was obviously penned by a modern day Tin Pan Alley hack. I'm not saying that every singer should write their own material, but they could at least find something interesting to perform.


As for the performance, there is no doubt that all of the finalists are great singers. Even if some may seem like they are copying a famous singer (such as Maria Carey), I'm sure they could develop their own style in time. However, the musical arrangements are horrible! Obviously, studio musicians (Randy Jackson, for example) were brought in to play these stereotypical arrangments without any sort of individuality or creativity. Then, the PR machine kicks in to make a one hit wonder.

So, at best, they score half a point out of two. What a waste of time and talent.

Have you seen the Master Card commercial with the lost dog? It's a little Boston terrier named Badger that gets left behind at some scenic view. He tries to run after his family's RV, but can't keep up. They show him getting rides from strangers and walking alone on the road. Then, the dreaded "to be continued" pops up. I hope he's OK!


Another partial commercial is the Mitsubishi accident avoidance test. We see the two test cars driving on an empty freeway behind semis that carry guys in coveralls throwing things at them. The last to come out are these orange cars. They come down the ramp and immediately crash into each other. (How did they do that?) Then, we are directed to a web site to see the rest. Cool stuff!

Gordon Clark is an amazing writer. His ideas are well developed, and the arguments do not attack, but instead refute. Today's Journal and Courier includes his guest column.

In preaching, unsupported statements like the one above come from out of the blue, intended to evoke an emotional response, regardless of the rules of logic. Once the emotions are involved, there is no longer a need to use logic, and pretty much anything goes.

I wish I could express myself half as well as he does.

Imagine you are stopped at a stop light. You are in the left turn lane, and there is no arrow on the signal. The light turns green. Do you wait for the oncoming traffic to clear before you turn? No, you turn in front of the other cars - making them wait. You are the lowest of the low - scum of the earth - the most arrogant person in the world.

Lafayette Bank & Trust has some of the worst commercials on Lafayette television. They are the Bob Rohrman of banking. (This is interesting. Run a Google search for 'bob rohrman lafayette' and Mike Raisor is the first result.)

Just as I would never by a car from Bob, I could never bank with LBT. Those spots are so annoying! Doesn't it seem odd the the sky diver who is trying to 'reach new heights' is falling? It's as if they were written by middle schoolers. And the acting!! My god, the acting!! Remember the one where the kids blows the air horn on his bike? Make it stop! I can't reach for the remote fast enough.