Merry Christmas

Well another week has snuck up on me and caught me completely flat footed with regards to my Thursday Thirteen, so none this week. With work and the multiple crises on the home front I may not get a chance to blog until 2007. If you don’t hear from me until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Thursday Thirteen #23

13 things about Dane Bramage

Christmas Carols Edition
I am absolutely buried at work and Thursday snuck up on me. I was going to blow it off completely but as I sat here listening to Christmas music, I thought it would be nice for me (and quick too!) to list My 13 Favorite Christmas songs. So in no particular order:

1. O Holy Night. My absolute favorite. I have about six or seven versions including Jewel, Tracey Chapman, Patti LaBelle and a mens choir whose name escapes me.


2. Carol of the Bells. Instrumental or vocal I love this classic. I have the Veinna Boys Choir and Manheim Steamroller to name a few.


3. I Wonder as I Wander I have to sing this solo in front of the Church on Christmas Eve


4. Beautiful Star of Bethlehem I have to sing this with the men's quintet on Sunday


5. Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant C'est Magnifique! Dr. John has a version. Must be the Creole in him.


6. Hark The Harold Angels Sing A favorite since I was a kid.


7. Sleigh Ride Okay lets start with Authur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, and then there's Harry Connick Jr., Manhattan Transfer, The Salsoul Orchestra, Billy Gilman with Charlotte Church, and the Spice Girls. You think I might be fond of this one?


8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen It just wouldn't be Christmas without hearing this song.


9. Silver Bells Another one that I have a bunch of versions of including Diana Ross and the Supremes


10. This Christmas A great song by the late Donny Hathaway. There are several other versions out too but his is best.


11. Christmas Time is Here A classic by the late Vince Guaraldi from 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. If you do not have the soundtrack go get it now. Every tune on it is a treasure.


12. Merry Christmas From the Family I laugh every time I hear this song and shudder at how close it gets to how some family Christmases go. I recommend the Robert Earl Keen version and NOT the Dixie Chicks/Rosie O'Donnell version


13. Christmas Wrappings A guilty pleasure but I have to hear this song by the Waitresses at least once during the Christmas season.

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1. my 2 cents 2. Becky 3. JAM 4. rashenbo 5. Lindsey 6. Chickadee

7. Kukka-Maria 8. amy 9. KarenW 10. Tink 11. ali 12. Susan Helene Gottfried

13. Tug 14. dawn 15. Dani 16. Norma 17. Maniyak

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Green Lantern Creator Nodell Dies at 91

Another comic hero creator has died.

MIAMI - Martin Nodell, the creator of Green Lantern, the comic book superhero who uses his magical ring to help him fight crime, has died. He was 91.

Nodell died at a nursing home in Muskego, Wis., on Saturday of natural causes, his son Spencer Nodell told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He previously lived in West Palm Beach.

Nodell was looking for a new idea for a comic book in 1940 when he was waiting for a New York subway and saw a train operator waving a lantern displaying a green light, said Maggie Thompson, senior editor of Comics Buyer's Guide.

The rest, they say is history. I had read the Hal Jordon Green Lantern for years before I learned of the original GL. Today there are more GLs than you can shake a stick at. But they all started with this one.

"There were myriad of fans who would come up to my dad and would say `Green Lantern got me to read' or `Green Lantern got me to do something in my life,'" [son] Spencer Nodell said.

Nodell helped create another world famous character. He was part of the team that invented the Pillsbury Doughboy.

So which Green Lantern is your favorite? Alan Scott? Hal Jordon? John Stewart? Guy Gardner? Kyle Rayner? Katma Tui? That funky squirrel looking one?

Can Such a Thing Even Be?

I love quizzes. Especially the ones that report interesting findings.


Wow! A Master of seduction and morality. I think I will rename my blog to Gigolo Saint. Sounds cool. It rolls off the tongue way to easily. I am both frightened and intrigued by this new view into the Dane Bramage psyche. Watch out world! The Gigolo Saint is on the loose.

Bah Humbug

Well not like Ebenezer Scrooge but I have found that 12 days into December I have developed some holiday pet peeves.

1. All Christmas Music All The Time-   We have a local radio station that started playing Christmas music 24 hours a day on December 1^st.  You may find that a wonderful thing but I might enjoy it more if they played different songs every now and again. 24 hours of the same songs really grates on my last nerve. This leads into my second peeve.
2. Somebody shoot Mariah Carey. If I scan the radio dial at any given hour, somebody is playing “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and if it is a peak hour, then at least two stations have it going at one time. (You have to understand that I live in N. E. Ohio and I get radio stations from Akron, Cleveland, Canton, and Youngstown. That’s a lot of stations and unfortunately many of them like Mariah’s song.)  Then they play it again in the following hour! Mariah’s little ditty is a good example of my next peeve.
3. Secular Christmas Songs. Our little 24 hour Christmas music station can go for long periods of times playing music that never once mentions Jesus. Oh they’ll rock around a Christmas tree, or Jingle Bell Rock or run over Grandma with Reindeer but they are very reluctant to mention Jesus. Yeah eventually they have to play O Holy Night and Hark the Harold Angels Sing, but these times are few and far between. This brings me to my last peeve.
4. Somebody Shoot Barbara Streisand.  Correct me if I am wrong. Isn’t Babs a Jew? Maybe she’s not a good Jew but she certainly isn’t a Christian. So why would she record a Christmas album? I mean she sings all the classic Christ praising carols but she doesn’t believe them. So again why? And the reason I ask is because when the radio stations do play a song that mentions Christ, it’s usually one of Babs.

There I have laid bare my soul concerning Christmas music.  It won’t dampen my spirit though. I have recordings of all my favorite Christmas music and listen to them when I am at work or home.  It is only when I am in the car that I have to deal the radio.

I invite you to go to the comments and list your favorite Christmas song ( a “traditional” one that deals with Christ’s birth, and a secular one.) By far my favorite song is “O Holy Night”. It has been for decades.  A secular favorite is Sleigh Ride.

 If you have a Christmas peeve leave it in the comments as well.

Cynthia McKinney's Last Stand

From the FOX NEWS website:

In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney announced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush.

The legislation has no chance of passing and serves as a symbolic parting shot not only at Bush but also at Democratic leaders. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made clear that she will not entertain proposals to sanction Bush and has warned the liberal wing of her party against making political hay of impeachment

Apparently Cynthia didn't get the memo. But I expected nothing less from such a fount of moral strength and character. She embarrassed herself and her constituency several times with her actions and her moonbat theories. Hey Cyndi! Hows the Tupac probe going?

McKinney, who has not discussed her future plans, has increasingly embraced her image as a controversial figure.

She has hosted numerous panels on Sept. 11 conspiracy theories and suggested that Bush had prior knowledge of the terrorist attacks but kept quiet about it to allow friends to profit from the aftermath. She introduced legislation to establish a permanent collection of rapper Tupac Shakur's recordings at the National Archives and calling for a federal investigation into his killing.

Whatever was in the water in Georgia that allowed this woman to be a duly elected official hopefully has been removed. Wait! I see in my crystal ball, a trash TV show hosted by Cynthia! It wouldn't surprise me if she went the Rikki Lake route. I'm sure her former voters would tune daily to commiserate with her on how unfair life is.

Thursday Thirteen #22

13 things about Dane Bramage

The Hat Tip EditionHere is a double treat. Why? Because we are all about value. I am going to list 13 sites that I have visited. I discovered these sites while reading other blogs. So I will give credit (A "Hat Tip" if you will) to the referring site. So you get two sites to visit! That's 26 links! But wait, there's more! Okay not really I figure 26 give or take a couple is enough.

1. Origami Boulder You go there. You buy wadded paper from real internet artist.
   HAT TIP: The Random Yak


2. Blue Ball Factory One of my favorite YTMNDs
   HAT TIP: My good bloggin buddy David Drake


3. Hot Air A great site to catch videos of news and some T.V. clips like this South Park one.
   HAT TIP: Darth Apathy


4. The Official Weird Al Website Al's "Stright Outta Lynwood" is his first top 10 album and "White and Nerdy" is his first top 10 hit.
   HAT TIP: To of all places A Hamburger Today thanks to a photo of Al's Hamburger Birthday Cake


5. lulu.TV Which is now home to the "Pepsi Girl" video. Nuthin' like watching people explode!
   HAT TIP: Pirates! Man Your Women


6. The Platypus Society I especially like their "Old Proverbs Explained" feature.
   HAT TIP: And Then I Woke Up


7. Nehring The Edge My favorite movie review blog
   HAT TIP: Cutting Edge Of Ecstasy


The rest of the post is below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"


8. The Sneeze! Half zine. Half blog. Half not good with fractions. You will bust a gut reading Steve! Don't Eat It!
   HAT TIP: I Blog The Body Electric (They steal all my best stuff)


9. Chester Street Serious about the Word and applications to today's society.
   HAT TIP: EddieButler.com Glad to know I am not the only conservative brother in cyberspace.


10. East of Oregon Great photos and totally unrelated to...
    HAT TIP: West of Mars Just like the East-West thing. Green Hair Week is still going on!


11. Army Images Pictures from the army that never make it to MSM.
    HAT TIP: Pettifog (is it still Jots and Tittles chrys?)


12. Generation X-Pose Dani in Denver, another Conservative Christian!
    HAT TIP: Perspectives in Motion Pastor D.L. Foster has Bible messages for today that people would rather he not share! Preach on Brother!


13. World in a Satin bag Shaun's blog has a great fantasy novel going on in weekly installments.
    HAT TIP: Advice From A Single Girl Everybody needs advice now and then.

Okay before I get any email, I will say that not all the Hat tips were where I first heard of the listed site/blog. I honestly forgot where I did learn of some of them, some no longer exist, and a bunch I came across due to Thursday Thirteen or some other blog alliance. So sue me. Truth is all these links are great so check them out and then leave a comment.

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1. Cindy Swanson 2. my 2 cents 3. Starrlight 4. JAM 5. Susan Helene Gottfried 6. Colleen Gleason

7. Kukka-Maria 8. Becky 9. KarenW 10. Skittles 11. Norma 12. Smurf

13. My Twenty Cents Keeps Moving 14. Barbara 15.SciFiChick

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

And Yet They Ran For Their Lives

Jay at Stop The ACLU emailed me this link. It is rather amusing. I for one wish that those freaks would stop calling themselves Baptists. Their sick approach to opposing "sin" is not scriptural. Check out Westboro Baptist Church Freaks Chased Away (VIDEO)

Those religious nut bags at the Westboro Baptist Church were not welcome at this funeral for a soldier who died in Iraq. They are pretty much running for their lives and trying to drive away as fast as possible. This crowd would have torn them limb from limb.

Thursday Thirteen #21

13 things about Dane Bramage

The Photo Church Tour Edition
Well I have been swamped at work lately and some of you may have noticed I was attempting to write the worlds crappiest novel. (Those of you who noticed, my thanks for not mentioning how very little I got done towards my goal of 50K words.) Anyway I thought since I was going to be late this week with my T13 I would try something simple. So here are 13 thumbnails of my church, Heritage Baptist Church. It has been called by some "The most unique church in Ohio". We call it "The church in the Barn". This past weekend we had a special day called "Old Fashioned Sunday". I took some pics. I also added some shots from our "Chili Supper and Bake-Off" a couple weeks ago. To see the full picture just click on the thumbnail.

1. The doorman dressed for Old Fashioned Sunday


2. My Pastor and Robert E. Lee. Okay not Robert E. Lee but Brother George is an amazing facsimile.


3. One of our young men with the Pastor.


4. The foyer set up for Western Sunday. The hats were gifts to all the visitors.


5. The Ladies Trio singing "Old Style Preacher Man" on Old Fashioned Sunday


6. The Pastor and his wife.


7. The whole family got dressed up. What beautiful little girls.


8. One of our young couples.


9. This is our fellowship hall. We use it for special meetings and events. It goes along with our "Church in the Barn" motif.


10. Here we have singing just prior to eating at our Chili Supper and Bake-off which is one of the special events we have.


11. Another view of the fellowship hall. The wagon is ours too.


12. Everyone enjoying Chilis and stews, followed up by cakes, pies and cheescakes. It was tough voting on the winners.


13. We have our own school. This is the main schoolroom in the church lower level. We teach grades K through 12 and many of our graduates have gone on to college.

Well I hope you enjoyed the fifty cent tour. Stop in some Sunday and we will be glad to show you around the place.

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1. eve 2. KarenW 3. East of Oregon 4. Susan Helene Gottfried 5. my 2 cents 6. Skittles 7. beth 8. Barbara

9. Norma 10. Blonde Chick 11. Smurf 12. JAM 13. Terri 14. Melissa 15. Annamary 16. Lindsey

17. Wendy Ann Edwina D'Cunha e Pereira 18. Nathalitanis 19. Caylynn 20. Irish Church Lady 21. Dani 22. Chupieandjsmama

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

X-Men Illustrator Dies in Superman Pajamas

Dave Cockrum, who revitalized the Xmen with new characters Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler died over the weekend from complications due to diabetes.

Wearing Superman pajamas and covered with his Batman blanket, comic book illustrator Dave Cockrum died Sunday.

The 63-year-old overhauled the X-Men comic and helped popularize the relatively obscure Marvel Comics in the 1970s. He helped turn the title into a publishing sensation and major film franchise.

Cockrum died in his favorite chair at his home in Belton, South Carolina, after a long battle with diabetes and related complications, his wife Paty Cockrum said Tuesday.

At Cockrum's request, there will be no public services and his body will be cremated, according to Cox Funeral Home. His ashes will be spread on his property. A family friend said he will be cremated in a Green Lantern shirt.

Click to see full image of Dave's Classic Xmen cover

I have been a fan of comics since I was a kid. Dave Cockrum was one of my favorite artists. I loved his work on the Legion of Superheroes and of course The Xmen. I think the news is trying to play up how much Dave loved comics by mentioning his pajamas and his blanket. But I think it is kind of sad. I am sure that other bloggers who are more informed on such matters will comment on how Dave created characters that went on to gross millions in comics, merchandise and movies and he had to struggle with finances in his later life. They will compare his situation, I'm sure, to the late Jack Kirby's.

I will just say that Dave had an impact on my life and he will be missed.

Thursday Thirteen #20

13 things about Dane Bramage

The Thanksgiving Edition
It is that time of year again. The time set aside by our forefathers to give thanks to God for the many blessings He has given us. I won't go into how the holiday has changed or how Americans don't seem to appreciate the bounty of this land and why we are so blessed ( a topic for another post,) I will just give you 13 things that I am thankful this year.

1. A good Fundamental Bible Believing Church


2. A good testimony


3. My own home


4. Family


5. Friends, near, far and cyber-connected.
   
6. A good job


7. Living in the greatest nation on Earth


8. Freedoms protected by the finest military in the world


9. Blogs to shoot my big mouth off on


10. The chance to rectify this month's electoral mistakes in two years


11. Like minded individuals who want to see America stay the greatest nation under God


12. I am so thankful to be saved and on my way to heaven.


13. The Word of God

A guest preacher said once

"I am so sick of Christians walking around with a defeated attitude! Haven't you ever just gone to the end of a book just to see how things turn out? I did with the Bible. And guess what? The Good Guys Win! That alone ought to put a smile on your face. We win. We have God's word on that."

So when you are fighting off the tryptophan induced coma's today, just remember that when it is all said and done, we as Christians will win because we are on God's side. And that is truly something to be thankful for.

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1. MommyBa 2. beth 3. Michelle at scribbit 4. Wendy 5. Susan Helene Gottfried

6. Irish Church Lady 7. JAM 8. Sanni 9. Skittles 10. KarenW

11. Brony 12. Norma 13. Susan Vigilante 14. You're next!

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Headlines Sidelined

Do you know how you some times develop a rhythm when doing certain things. And once you have done them for a while you get a groove going and it takes no time at all to do a job.  Well that’s the way it was with Headlines. I had a groove going. I’d find a news article and Blogger’s “Blog This” button would give me the code I needed to paste into my post and then I’d move onto the next news item. 

Well I went ahead and switched to Blogger Beta (or the New Blogger as they call it now). I have since discovered that “Blog This” does not work in beta. The help forums are crammed with complaints about the loss of this feature but not word on a fix. So now I have to develop a new groove. That just means it is going to take me longer to get the next batch of headlines out. Thanks for your understanding and patience.

Top Ten Reasons Why Liberals Hate Holidays

Dani sent me this link to her blog. I love the Top Ten Reasons Why Liberals Hate Holidays. But put your waders on if you read past the first comment. Liberals didn't find it too amusing.

From The Inbox

U Can't Stuff This A cute Thanksgiving Chuckle

Thursday Thirteen #19

13 things about Dane Bramage

The 13 Fun Facts About Ohio Edition
I am home from New Orleans and pretty much over the lousy election results. I thought in an effort to tell you more about me, I would tell you about where I live. I was born here in Ohio, right here in Akron which is in Summit County. Summit is the highest county in Ohio and Akron is the highest elevation in the county so I pretty much figure if my house on North Hill is flooding, the whole country is underwater. So here are 13 "Fun Facts" about Ohio.

1. Ohio became the 17th state in March of 1803.


2. Akron was founded in 1825 by Simon Perkins who is often confused with Marlin Perkins. Marlin discovered Wild Kingdom just a little bit south of here.


3. Chillicothe was Ohio's first capital city. It was later changed because Christopher Chilicothe hadn't discovered anything.


4. Cleveland became the world's first city to be lighted electrically in 1879. The power company is still waiting payment on the first electric bill.


5. Charles Goodyear of Akron developed the process of vulcanizing rubber in 1839. This allowed the rubber to live long and prosper.


6. In 1850 Sojourner Truth delivered her stirring speech, "Ain't I a Woman" to a convention of women. This led to Ohio being the first state to enact laws protecting working women. Over a century later Janet Reno posed the same question. The jury is still out.


UPDATE: The rest of the list is below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"


7. Ohio is known as the Buckeye State. Yes a buckeye is a worthless nut. But Ohioans know what a real buckeye is, and have a recipe for candy ones.


8. Marietta was Ohio's first permanent settlement. Founded in 1788 by General Rufus Putnam and named in honor of Marie Antoinette, then queen of France. The city eventually lost it's head


9. Oberlin College was founded in 1833.It was the first interracial and coeducational college in the United States. Thomas Edison invented the movie camera just so he could film the first "Girls Gone Wild" on Oberlin's campus


10. Akron was the first city to use police cars. Crime still ran rampant until gasoline was invented a couple years later.


11. Ohioans have the ability to spell words like Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas. They can properly pronounce the name of Portage County town Mantua.


12. W.F. Semple of Mount Vernon patented chewing gum on December 28, 1869. It promptly lost its flavor the next morning after being on the bedpost overnight.


13. John Mercer Langston is believed to have been the first African American elected to public office. He was elected clerk of Brownhelm in 1854. A riot almost broke out at the swearing in ceremony when the townsfolk realized "The clerk is a Ni"

Other fun things about Ohio, the local papers cover national and international headlines on one page but requires 6 pages for sports. Ohio has 4 seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction. Some well-known personalities were born in Ohio. Among them Steven Spielberg, Paul Newman, Annie Oakley, Arsenio Hall and Clark Gable. Long jumper DeHart Hubbard was the first African American to earn an Olympic Gold Medal. The award occurred during the 1924 Olympics games held in Paris. He set the record for long jumping. Jesse Owens grew up in Cleveland. He won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Paul Laurence Dunbar of Dayton is known as the poet laureate of African Americans. More presidents come from Ohio than any other state.

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1. Caylynn 2. amy 3.Nathalitanis 4. Susan Helene Gottfried 5. Christina 6. JAM 7. my 2 cents 8. Shaylondon

9. Miranda 10. Colleen Gleason 11. Melissa 12. carmen 13. Heather's Funny Thoughts 14. Chupieandjsmama 15. Amy 16. Barb

17. she 18. Andrea 19. Dani 20. N. Mallory 21. Mikala

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Arma Virumque Cano

Happy Birthday Virgil! Two years of Advanced Latin in high school and that's about all the Latin I remember from the Aeneid. That and "timeo Danaos et dona ferentis" which was uttered by the doomed Laocoon, who if I recall correctly was devoured by snakes sent by the gods.

BTW classic Latin in no way raises my nerdiness score.

Lightly Nerdy

THANK YOU

It is Veterans Day. I would just like to say thank you to all the veterans out there. I am thankful every day for the freedoms I enjoy. I know those freedoms come at a price. A price I did not pay, but others did and some still are. Thank You.

My friend Dave is a veteran and he said he wished that there was a Hug a Veteran Day. So I gave him a hug. Please don't tell his wife.

Thursday Thirteen #18

13 things about Dane Bramage

The 13 Fun Facts About New Orleans Edition
Well I am in New Orleans on business. I thought I would do some in depth research into the culture and background of this great historical city. Then the Democrats won big Tuesday and sapped the soul right out of me. So I thought I would just make some crap up.

1. New Orleans was founded in 1718 on the site of Old Orleans after hurricane Henrietta washed the old town out to sea.


2. Did you know that New Orleans is the only American city that was built below sea level? Consequently they do not bury their dead below ground. They store them near polling areas and trot them out every election day to vote. (I AM NOT BITTER!)


3. New Orleans is the only American City where the main language was French for more than a century. Now building the town below sea level is starting to make sense.


4. Ray Nagin, inexplicably still mayor of New Orleans, wants the rebuilt city to be a "chocolate city". After catching a lot of criticism, he said he would settle for a "fluffy nougat center city".


5. The city once boasted a robust mining economy and exporting oil, computers, and electronics. Today New Orleans produces porn and drunks and the primary export is poor minorities.


6. In 1803 Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the U.S. with the Louisiana Purchase. It was later discovered that Napoleon only sold the land to get rid of New Orleans. He was allergic to crawdads and alligator sausage.


7. New Orleans is known as the Crescent City even though it's layout more closely resembles a toenail. The Big Easy refers to how readily servicemen can score on a weekend.


UPDATE: The rest of the list is below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"


8. At one time New Orleans had an extensive canal system, larger even than Venice. The Venetians succeeded though when they figured out that they shouldn't build their homes IN the canals.


9. The New Orleans tradition of Mardi Gras started in 1740 and was originally know as "The Running of the Hookers"


10. New Orleans boasts many unique music forms. However, Zydeco was almost destroyed by feminists who felt the frottoir was a sexist and demeaning instrument.


11. The cuisine of New Orleans is world renown. No where else is there so many ways to prepare spicy, savory, bottom feeders.


12. Whether you pronounce it "New Or-lins", "New Or-leenz", "New Or-le-ans", or even "Nawlins", SOMEONE in Louisiana will correct your pronunciation. I stole that one entirely from Harvey at Bad Example


13. New Orleans has more UFO sightings than any city it's size in the world. The number of sightings doubled after Katrina when it is believed that aliens mistook it for the lost city of Atlantis.

Well I hope you've learned something. Geez making things up is harder than actually researching stuff. And if you live here and were offended, I hope to be long gone before you make it down to the scenic Royal Sonesta Hotel and pound me into paste.

1. Andrea 2. Colleen Gleason 3. carmen 4. Oiive 5. Caylynn 6. Chaotic Mom 7. Chupieandjsmama 8. Nathalitanis 9. KarenW 10. JAM 11. Skittles 12. Blonde Chick

13. The Shrone 14. Tammy 15. Cindy Swanson 16. Barb 17. nat 18. Norma 19. Imperfect Christian 20. Random Yak 21. my 2 cents 22. Michelle in Mx 23. bernie 24. Dani

25. s@m 26. Crazy Politico 27. beth 28. My Twenty Cents Keeps Moving 29. My Twenty Cents Keeps Moving 30. N.Mallory 31. S.M.D. 32. Diaper Bag Diva 33. Titanium

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

And So It Begins

Things did not go well for me yesterday. Politically speaking of course. With about half of the registered voters in Ohio turning out, I did not like the election results. That liberal Strickland is now governor of Ohio. I can feel him reaching into my wallet already. The stinking minimum wage issue passed and now ambulance chasers for every disgruntled bum who ever got fired from my place of employment can gain access to MY PERSONAL EMPLOYMENT HISTORY whether I knew the jerk or not. And my company has to pay for that privilege! Arrrgh! Plus the smoke Nazis have won a victory as Ohio becomes Smoke Free! I haven't smoked for over 10 years and don't plan to restart but now business owners no longer have the option to provide smoking areas even if they want too.

The Democrats have retaken the house. They have retaken the senate. Pelosi and Reid make me want to puke. I predict higher taxes and a cut and run exit strategy from Iraq and those thoughts make me sick. Donald Rumsfeld has been asked to resign. Bush's lame duckness has grown exponentially.

Life was good when my team was in control. There were so many possibilities. But now I feel like my very life essence has been sapped. I absolutely shudder at the thought of whats going on in the liberal cesspool forums like the DU. And to top things off I have to switch to NEW blogger. It is a whole lot to take in at one time. It is almost enough to make me want to quit blogging.

But I am NOT a fair weather blogger. I will continue to champion the cause of Conservative African American Christian Men everywhere. It's just that right now my heart is breaking. Two years seems so far away, and yet as they say, a lot can happen in two years. Keep the faith. I will still be here poking fun at moonbats. Promise.

Get Out And Vote

Tomorrow is Election Day.  Be sure to get out and vote. Failure to do so means you forfeit all griping privileges until the next election. I have a friend who we will call John. John thinks politics is dumb because you can’t trust politicians. John does not vote because he thinks it is fruitless. John works as a trash can holder at a McDonalds Drive-Thru. You should have voted John.  Let that be a lesson to you all.

Thursday Thirteen #17

13 things about Dane Bramage

The 13 Books That just Came to Mind
A popular meme theme is books. I thought I would list 13 books or series of books and their authors that I have enjoyed. I am not a voracious reader and it's been years since I read some of these books. But they all have had some kind of impact on me.

1. Bible (Holy Spirit) I am surprised at the number of Christians who have never read through the Bible even once. My church encourages all of us to read through the Bible every year. We publish our monthly calendars with chapters and verses listed daily. It is easier than you think!


2. The Amber Chronicles (Roger Zelazney) My favorite fantasy series. There are 10 books and Roger didn't finish the story before he died. Don't you hate that?!


3. Dune (Frank Herbert) I was completely blown away by this book. I read the sequel but became too depressed to finished the series. The Sci-Fi Channel mini-series was better than the movie but both fell short of the book. Herbert is dead but others have continued the saga of Dune to this day.


4. Foundation Series (Issac Asimov) Classic Sci-Fi. A great read in my more formative years.


5. 1984 (George Orwell) A reading assignment for High School Lit but that in no way lessoned the book's impact.


6. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, quadrilogy, septilogy (Douglas Adams) I read the trilogy and laughed so hard I thought I would cry at times. Then I heard there was a fourth book in the series and rushed out to get it. That was twenty one years ago. Then Douglas Adams died. Last year I discovered that he had written a fifth book to his trilogy. Too bad the movie they made stank so badly.


7. Dead Zone (Steven King) It spawned a T.V. show so how bad could it be? The book was excellent from beginning to end. It was scary, not in the horror sense like some of his other books but in the sense of what evil a human being is capable of. You know, like a Democrat.


UPDATE: The rest of the list is below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"


8. Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut) Today I think Kurt is a bit too liberal for my tastes politically. But I read much of his early stuff and always admired his ability to see things differently from most people. This book was banned, burned and caused no end of controversy for it's use of the N-bomb.


9. Lath of Heaven (Ursula K. Lequin) A post apocalyptic tale of a man with a unique power. I saw the PBS adaptation starring Harry Anderson (a dramatic role) and it prompted me to get the book which of course was better. That led me to read some of her other stuff.


10. Ghost Story (Peter Straub) What's the worst thing you've ever done?," followed by the response, "I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me...the most dreadful thing. I could not put this book down. Over twenty years later and I still think about this book. My most favorite horror story.


11. Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury) I think this was required reading if you were going to be a serious Sci-Fi fan. I remember being really excited about NBC doing a mini-series with Rock Hudson. I think they ruined it by trying to tie all the stories together.


12. Ringworld Engineers (Larry Niven) Talk about world building. Imagine a ring around a sun. Now imagine the engineering nightmare it would present to keep it at the correct distance. Niven didn't have to imaging. After writing "Ringworld" he would get calls in the middle of the night by fans who would scream "Ringworld is unstable!" and then hang up. Ringworld Engineers gave Niven an opportunity to address their concerns and further a truly imaginative story world.


13. Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison) You might think this is another Sci-Fi book and you'd be wrong. I read this book and remember it was the first one that made me angry about how people relate to one another. It fueled the angry black youth within me those three decades ago. An excellent book but not one all people can readily identify with. It deals with color, racism and identity.

So this is some reading material to hopefully keep you busy. Next week I hope to have a T13 from The Big Easy where I will be attending a business conference.

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1. Tracie 2. ribbiticus 3. Caylynn 4. carmen 5. Shoshana 6. Gattina 7. My Twenty Cents Keeps Moving 8. Gabrielle

9. shannon 10. my 2 cents 11. Norma 12. Janet 13. Christine 14. Colleen Gleason 15. Jane 16. Cindy Swanson

17. bernie 18. JAM 19. N. Mallory 20. KarenW 21. Dani

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Kerry's Insulting and Shameful Comments

Un-Freaking-believable! By now you no doubt heard Senator John "I married Money Twice" Kerry bad mouth our troops in Iraq. In ten seconds he opened his mouth and inserted both feet. Here it is if you missed it.



Well our Commander-in-Chief stepped up today and put his Presidential foot down, on Kerry's backside. He called Kerry's comments insulting and shameful. And President Bush demanded the wuss from Massachusettes apologize to all of our service men and women in Iraq. Here it is if you missed it.



Hat Tip chrys at petifogs.

From '70s Weight Watchers...

Nothin' says lovin' like Fluffy Mackerel Puddin'!
Those '70s. They were wacky!

(Hat Tip: What the hell is wrong with you?)

Headlines for Tuesday 10-24-2006

Janet Jackson Says New Album Is a Return
Singer's comment likely prophesy of fan reaction

Hemorrhoids: Surgery Beats Stapling
Swingline stock drops at announcement

Tourniquet: Bad advice for a snake bite
Particularly if applied to the neck

George Clooney named No. 1 man's man
"I wish he was this man's man" responded Elton John

Man apologizes for courtroom feces
Says lawyers are a necessary but smelly evil

Clinton Unfazed by Reported 'Ugly' Words
But few doubt why her re-election bid is called a horse race.

Climate change to hit Australian wine industry
Growers unprepared for what climatologists are calling "Summer"

Democrats fight historical labels
Claim it is easier than fighting terrorism

Milosevic, dead since March, gets vote call
It was from U.S. liberals urging him to vote Democrat

Swedish Authorities Question Bear Attack
Yogi and Boo-boo held without bail

That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects for more "headliney goodness"!
basil at basil's blog

Technorati tag: Humor   Headlines

Thursday Thirteen #16

13 things about Dane Bramage

The 13 Things I Hate About My Sleep Study
Tonight I go in to the hospital for an annual sleep study. I have sleep apnea and have been using a BiPAP (Bi-level Positive Air Pressure) machine for over 4 years. Every year they do a study to determine my new pressure settings. I hate it but if I don't get my settings adjusted I eventually feel all sluggish and sleepy during the day from lack of quality sleep at night. Anyway here are 13 things I hate about having the sleep study done.

1. Time. I have to arrive at 8:00 pm and stay all night. I have a million things I could do instead of staying at the hospital.


2. Packing. I have to pack three bags. One for my clothes, one for my BiPAP machine and one just to carry all my meds.


3. Leaving the Kids. My nieces and nephews that live with me don't have a very stable situation. Any time there is any kind of interruption in the routine they have a hard time recovering. They like me being there for them as much as I like being there for them.


4. The Hospital. Don't get me wrong, AGMC is a top notch medical facility and should ever I need one that is where I'm going. In fact I have gone there on several occasions when I needed emergency treatment. But I have never needed to stay overnight and I hate staying overnight.


5. Parking. Always a hassle no matter when you go to the hospital. Why is it now hospitals have valet parking like it is some kind of service to visitors and patients?


6. Admitting. Actually admitting is pretty much hassle free for these things but I'm in a mood to complain


UPDATE: The rest of the list is below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"


7. Lousy Staff. I have a complaint about only one person and it happened during the first or second study I had. The woman came into my room all sweetness and light and I was watching Diagnosis Murder. It had 20 minutes left to catch the killer. She asks me, "Are you ready to go to sleep or do need some more time?" I say "I'd like to see the end of this." She snaps at me "Well this is suppose to be a sleep study so you should go to sleep." Oh she is so lucky I left my titanium cluebat at home.


8. Electrodes. Or whatever those wires are that they use. They scrub the skin with an abrasive. Then use what feels like fast drying cement to attach the leads to my scull, chest and legs. The process takes about half an hour to get me hooked up.


9. Downtime. After they have hooked me up they tell you to relax until bed time which is usually 10:00. The thing is I really don't have enough time to do anything constructive in the 30 to 45 minute before I am forced to go to bed.


10. Using the Bathroom at Night. I have to ring the tech and they have to unhook me so I can go to the bathroom. This can be several times if my diuretics act up. It is a major hassle but I guess I am lucky I don't have to use a bed pan.


11. Bad Night's Sleep. I can normally fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Of course that is not true at the hospital. I lay in that miserable bed wired trying to relax. But I know that they are watching me, listening to me snore, and monitoring my leg movements.


12. Interruptions. There are times that things will come loose while I sleep and I wake up staring at some stranger (shift changes while I sleep) who is trying to stick a wire somewhere. I have been startled to the point of almost jumping out of bed. Makes for interesting heart readings I guess.


13. Clean Up. In the morning They give you a wash cloth and expect you to clean all the cement out of your hair and off your body while standing at a sink. Fortunately they use that wonderful Provon Medical Soap from the makers of Purell. (Buy it, I want to stay employed.)

My sleep study is a necessary evil or I would have nothing to do with it. I usually get up at 5:30 and have the free (yeah like my insurance isn't being overcharged for that tiny box of Cheerios and a couple of bananas) breakfast. And I am home by 6:15. Then I promptly climb into my own bed and sleep soundly until my alarm goes off at 8:30.

1. amy 2. Jon Tillman 3. Chelle Y. 4. Bubba 5. Caylynn 6. JAM 7. Threads Of Gold 8. Jane

9. ribbiticus 10. my 2 cents 11. Gabrielle 12. Amy the Black 13. Cece 14. mominprogress 15. Heather's Funny Thoughts 16. Heather's Roller Coaster Life

17. Shoshana 18. Andrea 19. Faerylandmom 20. N. Mallory 21. Irish Church Lady 22. Dani 23

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Myth of the Ineligible Black Man or What Am I? Chopped Liver?

jimiizrael.com: Notes on The Myth of the Ineligible Black Man, re: The Washington Post joint "Singled Out"

I was surfing and wound up at jimiizrael.com. The eponymous jimi had this review on a series of articles by WaPo on the myth of the ineligible Black man. He has some very interesting things to say about the series and the most recent post in particular which just happened to have been written by a woman. She laments the lack of quality black men in bars.

Like most of the women in these kinds of pieces, Robyn's not REALLY looking for a husband. Not in a nightclub, because that would be ridiculous. Nobody smart looks for a life-mate in a nightclub. If the chances of you finding a suitable husband just out in the street are low, how much lower are they in a situation where the main objective is to meet someone to take home for the night? The same place you go looking for a husband is the same place pimps go to turn-out housewives and strip-bar managers recruit. Square biz. It's true, people find their life-partners in nightclubs. People hit the lottery too. But the odds are not in your favor.

I agree 200%. I think women, especially working women decide to unwind and go clubbing. When they get there they start sizing up the men as potential life mates, prizes that become more desirable and accessible the more they drink. And then they wonder why their great catch turns out to be a womanizing drunken bum. Well I got news for you. He was always a womanizing drunken bum. That's the kind of guy that hangs out in bars waiting for women. Hard working men are home sleep.
But there are other issues too.

The rest of the post is below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"

Jimi continues

Reading the Post joint, next thing you know, Robyn meets a nice cat, really digs him and ends up breaking things off because of their class differences, he's "too ghetto" you see. Class, like race, is a social construct. People come to you with prejudices about your background that they will dispose of, overcome or embrace. Class is mostly in your imagination anyways. Class is about the ability to get down with people from all walks of life. Turns out that some of Robyn's friends didn't dig her ex-boyfriend.

Nothing sinks the "Love Boat" faster than extra weight provided by well meaning friends and relatives. Momma may not like his background and girlfriend is sure he is a playa still but momma and girlfriend aren't the ones needing to makcommitmentttment and they won't be reaping the benefits of your long-term relationship. So what is their stake in this? Nil.

And jimi doesn't let the women off easy with their complaints about the quality, of black men. He lists some qualities that just might identify women as the problem and make them ineligible:

• If you have a law degree and can't cook or clean without whining about it, you are not an eligible woman.


• If you are looking for someone to take care of you, I am not your Daddy. If you see him stop him cause he owes me money. But I am not that nigga and you are not an eligible woman.


• If you are a gossip, you are not an eligible woman.


• If your dad is a punk, women want men like their dads, and you are not an eligible woman.


• If you moms is in our business, kick mud you are not an eligible woman.


• If you have no ambition beyond the acquisition and stockpiling of material things, you are not an eligible woman.


• If you play mind games, you are not an eligible woman.


• If you are on some "Slavery's legacy is still keeping the black man and woman apart" bullsh*t, you and Toby-he, who says that "Da White Man is keepin' me down" can put that sh*t on a t-shirt, Kizzy. You are not an eligible woman.


• If you have a tattoo on your breast, arm or *ss-crack, you are soliciting too much of the wrong kind of attention and you are not an eligible woman.


• If you can't hit the gym because it will mess up your hair, you are not an eligible woman.

There are a lot of flawed people out there. Some good and some not. Bemoaning the lack of eligible black men and blaming society or "the man" only contributes to the problem. Black men have an excuse now not to be more than the stereotypes. Black women have an excuse not to try as hard as they should since the eleigble black man is a myth. Speaking as an eligible black man I can tell you that you won't find me at a bar, or a club. Ever. You can find me at church, every Wednesday and twice on Sunday. And while I am not perfect, who knows, I just may be perfect for you.

(Hat Tip: Negro Please)

Thursday Thirteen #15

13 things about Dane Bramage

The Repeat Real Me Edition
In honor of being too busy to blog, I am reposting my first Thursday Thirteen. Here are 13 things about me that may or may not be true. Can you guess which ones are true?

1. My middle name is Dane


2. As a high school freshman I was voted Best Guy In Class and never knew I was nominated until I won


3. There are six cats and a dog living in my basement


4. I attended Carnegie Mellon University (but never finished)


5. I have a cousin who won two grammy awards


6. Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton filmed a movie at my high school


7. I met Jesse Owens at the first Revco Cleveland Marathon


8. I have been to all four coasts of this great country


9. At one time I really wanted to visit the Planet of Bouncy Mary-Lou Retton Clones


10. I have never been arrested


11. The musical performers I have seen live the most are The Manhatten Transfer and Gladys Knight and the Pips


12. I was a jock in high school and league champion in discus


13. While out witnessing for Christ, a man answered the door pointing an assault rifle (I still invited him to church)

UPDATE: The answers are below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"

• 13. TRUE. It happened so fast. My soulwinning partner and I stood in front of the door and I knocked. A young man dressed in fatigues and a white tee shirt answered the door with a huge assault rifle pointing it at us! I had a tract in my hand and I slowly held it out and told him who we were. He never said a word, just shook his head and closed the door. Stranger than that was the fact that after we told the folks at church about it, one of the deacons insisted I take him back there so he could talk to the young man. He wasn't home the second time.


• 12. TRUE. I played football, basketball and track in high school. I lettered in football and track and in my senior year I was the Interstate Prepatory League Champion in discus.


• 11. TRUE. I have seen The Manhattan Transfer in concert 5 times and Gladys Knight 3 times. Followed by Earth Wind and Fire twice and Ray Charles twice.


• 10. TRUE. Not even once


• 9. TRUE. As I posted in the comments,"Ah, Mary-Lou Retton. I had such a crush on her. She's just so wholesome! So when I learned that there was a planet of Bouncy Mary-Lou Retton Clones (from Bloom County if you didn't get the reference) I wanted to sign on with Cutter John and the crew of the "Enterpoop" and set a course there. Figuratively speaking of course."


• 8. TRUE. I've been to New York, Louisiana, California, and of course I live on the North Coast in Ohio.


• 7. TRUE. The starting point for the first ever Cleveland Marathon was in Hudson Ohio at my Alma Mater. Jesse Owens was there as a guest of honor and I got to talk to him (one trackman to another, how cool was that!) and I got his autograph.


• 6. TRUE. Ed Asner and Maurine Stapelton filmed "The Gathering" at my high school. They displaced the Headmaster from his residence and filmed in the house. They used neighboring areas like Chagrin Falls for scenes and had our glee club as carolers. (Rumor has it that the glee club voices had to be dubbed because they were far to polished to pass off as regular carolers). They also shared the dinning hall although their food was catered and we still had to eat mystery meat. On of the perks was during one chapel service the actors held a Q & A session.


• 5. TRUE. I am cousin to James Ingram who grew up here. I went to school with his younger brother Philip (who became a member of the band Switch) and sister Janice.


• 4. TRUE. I went for a year and a half trying to get a degree in Mechanical Engineering but I lacked the discipline for that discipline. It was fun living literally in Mr. Rogers neighborhood (the TV station was a couple blocks from campus) and joining a fraternity.


• 3. TRUE. Along with their owners, my friend Dave and his wife.


• 2. TRUE. There were two "couples" nominated even though none of us were an actual couple and they were supposed to be individual awards. Beth and Brad were white, I and Tama were black. I think voting was along racial lines and since there were more blacks at Goodyear Junior High, we won. I wasn't even aware of the "competition" until I saw it in the layout of the school paper. I don't even remember when they voted on it. It is something I think about with great amusement today.


• 1. FALSE. When I was a kid I thought my middle name was Jessille. Then when I got a copy of my birth certificate I saw that it was Jessio. Well my late father told me it is actually Jessenio after some friend or relative. So honestly I don't know what my middle name is except that it is NOT Dane.

1. Melissa 2. JAM 3. Diane 4. The Random Yak 5. SMD 6. Dani

7. Tracie 8. KarenW 9. my 2 cents 10. Kukka-Maria 11. Shaylondon 12. JO

13. Cheysuli 14. Andrea 15. Patchwork Anahata 16. Brony 17. celfyddydau

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Life Intrudes

I apologize for the light blogging of late. It seems the real world has designs on more of my time lately. It doesn't seem like it will let up soon either. So there will be light blogging until I get settled into a new routine.

Meanwhile you can read the comics at the bottom of the page daily and please visit the great blogs on my blogroll.

Thanks for your support.

Thursday Thirteen #14

13 things about Dane Bramage

The If I Had an iPod Edition
Disco Special
If I had an iPod I am sure I would have well organized theme based playlists for the hundreds of songs I would buy. No really!. Okay maybe not. But I got to thinking, "What theme based playlist would I start with?" I would probably close my eyes and allow myself to get whisked away to the days of my youth, way back in the twentieth century, back when Disco was King. So here are 13 disco songs I would have on my iPod if I had one.

1. Disco Inferno The Trammps
   Sort of a Disco anthem don't you think? I used to like screaming "Burn baby burn"! Must have been the rebellious youth in me.


2. To Be Real Cheryl Lynn
   You can't have a disco playlist without this ditty.


3. Partyland The Blackbyrds
   One of my favorite jazzy R&B groups had a disco smash with this song.


4. I'm Ready Kano
   The italo disco Kano band had this hit. It is catchy and bridges to techno a bit. It was sampled to death by lot of Hip hop and rap songs.


5. Don't Leave Me This Way Thelma Houston
   A ubiquitous hit, I heard it at anything remotely dealing with Disco. For good reason. It is a disco classic.


6. There But For The Grace of God Machine
   An interesting song to say the least. In my youth I would sympathize with the poor child whose folks wanted to raise in a place with "no blacks, no Jews and no gays". Now I wonder why they lumped those particular three groups together, something I didn't think about when I was shaking my groove thing.


7. I Feel Love Donna Summer
   The undisputed Queen of Disco could fill an iPod with her hits alone. This is one of my favorites.

The rest of the list is below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"


8. Groove Line Heatwave
   Another tune I remember at all the mixers and dances I went to. Bigger still was their hit "Always and Forever" which was a killer "slow jam".


9. Shame Evelyn "Champagne" King
   A favorite of mine to this day. She also had a killer slow jam with "Kisses Don't Lie"


10. Sour and Sweet (Lemon in the Honey) Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band
    This band had 1 album and their gimmick was a zoot-suited Big Band sound. They had 2 or 3 songs that got onto the Disco charts. This is my favorite although I remember loving the entire album.


11. Love Machine The Miracles
    A huge hit for the Miracles in their post Smokey Robinson days. It created it's own little Disco Inferno on the Disco Charts


12. Lovin' is Really My Game Brainstorm
    Great dance tune but I swear this song was about an hour long (in keeping with the tradition of Disco songs). Never heard anything else by the group though.


13. More Than A Woman Tavares
    Yes I said Tavares and not The Bee Gees. Not to take anything away from the brothers Gibb, I just liked this version better.

Conspicuous for her absence is Gloria "I will Survive" Gaynor. Well it seemed to be an anthem for every fruit-headed drag queen I saw on TV. So forgive me if the appeal is gone. Also I didn't have any Bee Gees Saturday Night Fever hits. Some of those were great tunes but I really didn't listen to them that much when I was younger. Anyway maybe it is a good thing I don't have an iPod. What was your favorite disco hit?

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1. Melissa 2. JAM 3. carmen
4. my 2 cents 5. KarenW 6. Chaotic Mom
7. Dani 8. Frances 9. Random Yak
10. Kukka-Maria 11. Lingerie Lady K 12. Amy
13. JO 14. Andrea 15. Brony 16. TC
17. Patchwork Anahata 18. Mary 19. SMD
20. Ginger

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Death: Guest Post

A couple of weeks ago I was feeling down. Things were a bit overwhelming and I was concerned about my friend Dave who was in the hospital. I wondered if I never got to talk to him again would he had known what his friendship meant to me. Well another friend, Scott, called and he was a great comfort to me. He reminded me that he wrote an article on that very subject and he emailed it to me. So here it is in it's entirety.

Death. The first time I encountered the phenomenon was with my Father. We were living in Northglenn at the time, and I was only 14 years old. He had come home the day before from a sales trip, and had taken on repainting the trim around the house.

I was "helping" him when the weather turned nasty, and I started taking stuff back into the house. It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes when my sister screamed. I ran outside to find my Father on the ground, collapsed next to his car. He was gone, the victim of a heart attack.

Death became personal in 1982, when my world was turned upside-down with the diagnosis of a broken neck and consequent surgery. Wearing a halo brace, I was feeling really low one day, and I sat myself down at the dining room table with a loaded pistol and a note pad in front of me. I wanted to write down how I felt, about not being able to get around like I used to, not being able to work, my wife being pregnant with our first child, etc. Because of everything, I felt like less of a man. I started writing, and soon found myself writing a poem about Death. Incidentally, it took me 20 years to realize, as of last November, that The Lord was with me that day, but that's another story, if not a book.

I have talked to many people who have considered suicide. One common denominator amongst them is they regularly think about it. Why? Because ‘It is the only constant in their lives. Look around your life and see the way things change, every day, even by the minute. It can be overwhelming.

From my perspective, a person who contemplates suicide has done so over a period of time, so there are indications of the impending event. It's not like a person wakes up one morning with the Klingon philosophy on their mind: “Today is a good day to die”. 20/20 hindsight is Man's greatest attribute, and those that are left in the wake of a suicide say things like “I didn't think he'd do it”, or “I should have seen it coming”.

But people die every day from occurrences that are not of their doing. Because of the unexpected suddenness, people should be prepared. Sounds rather contradictory, but it makes sense.

First, and I'm sure you've all heard it before, you should have a will and life insurance. I want to take this a step further. If you can afford it, have a small life insurance policy entrusted to a friend, or somebody who can front the monies. That way, in the event of your death, people who cannot otherwise afford to travel to your funeral can do so with the proceeds from the policy. Disclaimer: Always check with your financial and legal consultants before doing anything.

In a letter to Dear Abby the writer was bemoaning the fact that an old friend had died. Because she hadn't heard from her friend in a while, she set out to find out if there was a problem, and consequently was informed by the family about the death. Similarly, I had a Great Aunt that had died, and one day when I inquired about her health, was told she had died six months before! Obviously non-notification is a common problem.

So, make a list of the people you want informed upon your demise. This can be incorporated into the will, left with a friend or the executor of the estate. See disclaimer.

Finally, have the last word. Literally. Make up tapes or CD's for the people you LOVE, telling them about the way you feel towards them. Tell your kids how proud you are, your spouse about the wonderful life you had, etc. Use your imagination and be nice; This may be your lasting legacy.

And remember, someday it may be too late to tell them you LOVE them, so do it today.

Scott Murray is a professional driver who lives in Carr with his wife and two sons, whom he LOVES.

(Originally published in the Greely Tribune 9-07-2001. Scott will soon have a book published about his exploits and insights while driving coast to coast)