I’ve been enjoying the podcasts that They Might Be Giants have been putting out. Very entertaining stuff. John Linnell and John Flansburg are so talented. And goofy. Their podcasts are full of odd songs, G iants hits, and insightful commentary by the host, public radio’s beloved Cecil Portesque, the Duke of Dead Air.
Download the latest free podcast here or look for it on iTunes.
Now if they’d only play in Raleigh!
Do plants get jet lag? By that I mean, what would happen if you took a plant from a place on the planet experiencing fall and put it directly into a place experiencing spring? Would it bloom or go dormant?
I suppose stupid questions like these are why countries have quarantine laws . . .
Kelly and I are once again raising money for the March of Dimes to fund research for saving premature babies. Those who know me know our daughter Hallie was born eleven weeks premature. She may not be with us today if it wasn’t for the miraculous advances in medicine that the March of Dimes helps fund.
We are truly grateful to the March of Dimes and to all those who have donated to help further this lifesaving research. Should you wish to sponsor us for this year’s WalkAmerica (on April 22nd), you can donate online here. You can also join us for the walk if you’d like. It’s all for a good cause: raising money to help premature babies get a healthy start.
Thanks once again for your generosity!
As my earlier post suggested, the evidence of rape in the investigation of the Duke Lacrosse team appears to be dwindling every day. The N&O noted the same doubts are now appearing in the Crimestoppers reports:
In an April 3 news release offering cash rewards for information, CrimeStoppers coordinator Cpl. David Addison wrote, “The victim was sodomized, raped, assaulted and robbed. This horrific crime sent shock waves throughout our community.”
Tuesday at 11:16 a.m., Addison e-mailed the same release, but modified the first sentence to read: “The victim alleges that she was sodomized, raped, assaulted and robbed.” The second sentence calling the incident a “horrific crime” was deleted.
Eighteen minutes later, an amended CrimeStoppers release was sent. The only change was that “the victim” was now referred to as “the complainant.”
Mike Nifong, are you listening?
I admit I don’t know all the facts in the case of the alleged rape that took place at a Duke Lacrosse team’s party. What I do know, however, raises enough questions that I’m skeptical there’s a case here.
First and foremost, DNA testing was done on samples taken from the suspects and turned up negative. If a rape did take place, it’s a given that there will be DNA evidence. Fingernails, hair, fluid – something. It’s highly suspicious that no evidence of rape was found if it occured the way the alleged victim claims.
Lawyers for the suspects claim to have pictures showing the alleged victim arrived with cuts and bruises. If true, that would torpedo the case right there.
The thing that really got me wondering was the 911 call preceding the alleged attack. An anonymous caller (allegedly the second dancer) called 911 to report that someone used a racial epithet. Say what? There are a lot of reasons to call 911 but a racial epithet isn’t one of them. What did the caller want – the cops to cordon off the block and question everyone? Put someone in jail for using the N word?
Or … maybe the caller was trying to set the suspects up, perhaps to make this a racial thing.
I certainly don’t condone sexual assault. If the kids are found guilty then they need to go to prison. But the kids haven’t been proven guilty of anything and the strongest evidence – the DNA – backs them up.
Let’s see what Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong can prove. He should either get this case quickly to court or drop the charges. Until then, I’ll be inclined to believe both the alleged victim and Durham’s grandstanding DA are playing the people of Durham for suckers.
I don’t remember if he picked or grinned (or both) but Buck Owens died a few weeks ago and I just found out.
Read a nice obituary of Buck Owens by one blogger and fan and his entry in Wikipedia.
It was an almost perfect weekend. Weather was gorgeous, it was great being with the family, and the yard got mowed for the first time this season and looks great. Hallie and Kelly are healthy and in good spirits. One of Kelly’s longtime friends was in town and spent time visiting. I got a lot of quality Daddy time with the kids. I even spent time with my own parents, which was great.
The only thing missing was Travis’s health. The poor kid has run a fever of around 103 degrees for the past few days. He zones out in the daytime and wails at night. Occasionally he’ll perk up (right when the ibuprofen takes effect) and be his old self, but usually he’s just quiet. His appetite has taken a hit, too. That belly he’s been working so hard to build is going to slip away. 🙂
The doctor has given him a day or two to get back to normal. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll bring him back in for more testing. Man, it’s tough to watch the kids get sick.
The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Man, I miss the Constitution. It used to totally rule. Literally.
I can’t wait to vote these crooks out of office.
I’ve been interested in learning the tricks to telling a good story, so I dropped a line to the Real Paul Jones thinking he would know where to find good storytellers in the area. Paul passed my query over to his friend Brian Strum, who sent me the following links:
Good stuff, y’all.
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Influential lefty political blogger Markos “Kos” Moulitsas Zúniga of DailyKOS fame has added a stop in Raleigh to his national book tour. Kos will visit Quail Ridge Books on Friday, May 12th at 7:30 PM to tout his new book, Crashing The Gate, which is a sober look at today’s Democratic Party and how it could be improved.
I’m out of town that weekend, but I’d be front-and-center if I was here. For a political junkie like me, it should be a very interesting talk.
