Mungerphut's Observations and Opinions

Muddy Falls walk, 1949

2011-12-17T20:26:00.001-08:00

Grandmother Rose and Mom walking at Swallow Falls State Park.

Wheeling Ice, "Malt Liquor"

2011-06-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

2011-06-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

I asked people to suggest good albums to listen to in their entirety from front to back and I got a number of responses, most of which I have not heard before. Here is what was suggested to me via Twitter (@dforemanwv):

--Boys and Girls in America by the Hold Steady @jtjarzemsky
--Sea Change by Beck @jtjarzemsky
--Dear Science by TV on the Radio @jtjarzemsky
--Tommy, The Who @lennon81
--Helplessness Blues, by Fleet Foxes @lennon81
--Self-titled debut by Young the Giant @IliyanaS
--five albums from @ColdWarKids: REM (New Adv in HiFi), Paul Simon, Plastic Ono Band, Tom Waits (Bone Machine), and Springsteen (Nebraska)

--Playing For Change 2: Songs Around The World @Area_Man_
--Brandi Carlisle, The Story @javthompson
--Ben Folds, Rockin the Suburbs @javthompson
--anything by American Aquarium @msestep
--Elvis Costello, Imperial Bedroom @Sally_j
--Cake, Fashion Nugget @rachelbagel
--Joanna Newsom, Have One On Me @thehighsign
--Aeroplane Over the Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel @dforemanwv

More suggestions and comments are welcome. This should get us home.

West Virginia Town Requests Soviet Foreign Aid

2011-01-15T05:56:00.001-08:00

And they almost receive it.

College Football: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

2011-01-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

I have been researching the sports pages of old newspapers lately, and I came across this article in the 1903 Milwaukee Journal regarding their upcoming college football season. The article, “Football Championship in Question Again,” laments that football fans will not have a definitive, conclusive end to their season because there is no adequate championship system in place to determine what team truly is the best in the nation. Sound familiar?

The unnamed author complains that the eastern teams refuse to acknowledge the strengths of western teams (meaning Midwestern by our geography) and will not entertain the idea of a Michigan or Chicago team as being better than Harvard, Yale, or West Point.

“The time will not be far distant when games will be arranged to settle this question. Comparisons, at best, are only problematical, and seldom hold good, but college men in general who are fair-minded would like to see the championship of the country proved conclusively rather than have critics haggling about it for months after the season ends.”

We have come a long way since 1903—journalists no longer count the number of deaths during each college football season as a result of injuries; we allow the forward pass; and not all the players are white. But we still don’t have a system that conclusively determines what team is the best in the nation. I don't think we will until we make some major changes to the way the NCAA manages the game.

How close is the Massey Energy coal processing plant to Marsh Fork Elementary School?

2009-10-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

Images are from Google Maps

Hail Alma Mater

2009-05-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

WVU English Department has a blog.

A Sonnet

2009-05-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Written in response to the University of Arizona's poetry contest. They requested submissions of sonnets celebrating solar energy:

http://www.poetrycenter.arizona.edu/contest/sun_sonnet.shtml

To Coal

The future of energy is in coal.
America is rich in the black gold
Of Appalachian seams where the dark hole
Reveals a richness without peer. Untold
BTUs await our exploration.
Millions of tons sit beneath our feet,
Waiting. I suspect righteous oration
Will greet each load as trucks and trains repeat
The route from mine to plant to wall outlet.
"It's dirty," they'll say. "It detroys the land."
Fah! Turn Hephestian muscles loose! Unmet
Needs can be sated by coal! We can't command
The sun-- it's a nice idea to harness,
But not while the grid is under durress.

Minor League Baseball, 1903

2009-02-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

I created a map of minor league baseball teams and their league affiliations in 1903.

My Take on Morgantown Restaurants

2009-01-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

There are plenty of good places to eat in Morgantown. There are plenty of the ho-hum chain restaurants, but Morgantown has great places to eat in town. These are all sit-down places of varying degrees of formality. Most of them casual is just fine. The ones listed below are all operated locally by genuine entrepreneurs.

Blue Moose—downtown Walnut Street corner of Spruce Street. This is my favorite coffee shop. They serve good breakfasts and they have lunch service too for sandwiches.

Black Bear—Pleasant Street, downtown. They serve everything as a burrito, and they have a huge variety of meals. It’s all good, really good. A good place for kids too. In the evenings they have live music, which packs ‘em in. Not expensive and very casual for lunch or dinner.

Puglioni’s—Evansdale at the TCBY plaza off Van Vorhis Rd, down the hill from the hospital. Really good Italian food, great homemade bread, nice kids meals like personal pizzas. I always get Calzones. It’s all good here too. Dinner not open for lunch.

Madeline’s—downtown on High Street across from the Warner Theater. I like Madeline’s for dinner and we go there every once in a while. Good food and good specials too. They are open for lunch but I think of it as a dinner place. I returned there for lunch recently, and it was good. I had a chicken salad, a simple meal to mess up and a difficult meal to impress with. I was quite satisfied.

Maxwell's—on Wall Street, off High Street downtown. Maxwell’s has been around forever, good college town eats with good vegetarian food as well as a great variety of dinner specials. I eat there for lunch and always get the Elsie. I have had the same lunch meal for years, perhaps decades, and I love it. Love it. Sunday brunches are the best in town.

Yama—Fayette Street off High Street downtown. Yama is the Japanese restaurant in town where all the Japanese students eat. Win and I eat there together for lunch and we get chicken, soup, and sushi. Great for the winter when you want a nice bowl of soup. I went with a friend a few weeks ago. It was cold and she got soup. We admired it for a bit before eating, and it was a pleasure for the eyes and tongue.

Ogawa—University Ave in Evansdale down the hill from the Law School, near Towers. Another good Japanese place. Yama for lunch and Ogawa for dinner is good in my book. I like their sushi more than their meals.

Asian Garden—Evansdale on Universuty Ave. Threepeat Asian food with Thai, Chinese, and Malaysian. Really good, quaint little spot.

Lavender Café—Beechurst Avenue near downtown at the bottom of Stewart Street where it hits Beehchurst, near Papa John’s pizza. A new place and one of the best new places in town. They serve Taiwanese food. The new fave place for me and Win to go even though I feel like I am cheating on Yama. Winnie has been sneaking over there for lunch without me a lot lately. She loves it so much.

Pizza—Lots of good pizza places in Morgantown. The kids love Casa D.Amici at the top of High Street for slices and garlic knots. Pizza Al’s on University Ave near the 7-11 by Towers is good. And Pizzeria Italia at Suburban Lanes is the best cheap extra large cheese pizza ever, still. There is a calzone-only place on High Street called DP Dough—really good stuff.

Glasshouse Grille—On beechurst in the Seneca Center (an old glass factory turned shopping center) A nice place, take-your-date-out-to-dinner kind of place with very good food and excellent service. I go there for dinner a lot. I can't remember the last time I was in there without a tie, and the food is always very good. It is one of the few places where I will listen to and order the specials. They added an excellent fish market to the Seneca Center recently, a nice aaddition to the complex, and a great source of food for the Glasshouse menu.

Sargasso—Don Knotts boulevard on the river near Med Express and Sherwin Williams. It opened up not long ago and Win says the food is really good. I ate there for the first time with an august company of legal geniuses, and they judged it a fine place, a very good place from the appetizers to the desserts.

The Boston Beanery—downtown on High Street and in Evansdale on Patteson Drive across from Kroger. The kids love the Beanery. It is classic American food: burgers, sandwiches, big salads, etc. A Morgantown mainstay. Pat McAfee convinced me to chug a beer with him there recently.

For true Morgantown ambience, go to Gene’s for a chili dog or two and some red eyes (Wilson Ave, South Park) or to the Fishbowl for a big plate of food and one of those big beers.

See the Google Map!

Football

2009-01-07T10:08:00.000-08:00

Is Rush Limbaugh Still a Steelers Fan?

Rush Limbaugh is a well-known fan of pro football. If you listen to his show, you will hear him occasionally comment about the playoffs and give predictions about upcoming games. In 2003, he even served as a commentator on ESPN’s Sunday Countdown. His brief tenure as a commentator ended in controversey when he was heavily criticized for referring to Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb as “black.”

Limbaugh is not just a football fan. He also claims to be a big Steelers fan. But what kind of Steelers fan picks his team to lose a game against the Ravens? During a December 12, 2008, conversation on the air with a caller from Baltimore, Limbaugh did just that. He picked the Ravens to defeat the Steelers in an important game. (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121208/content/01125109.guest.html)

Has Limbaugh gone sour on the Steelers? If so, he has good reason. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney publicly supported Barack Obama for President. Rooney provided a public endorsement of the candidate (http://kdka.com/local/Dan.Rooney.Obama.2.699251.html), and he appeared at regional rallies advocating Obama as the next president (http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/509274.html?nav=515). Limbaugh is not a fan of Obama. Is he still a fan of the Steelers?

Limbaugh can also fault the Rooney family for its insistence on what has become popularly known as the “Rooney Rule” in the National Football League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooney_Rule). Since 2003, the NFL has required all teams seeking a new head coach to interview at least one minority candidate, a form of affirmative action in professional sports. Limbaugh is not a fan of affirmative action.

If you listen to Limbaugh, you probably won’t hear about the Rooneys appearing at Obama rallies. And you won’t hear him refer to Joe Biden’s choked-up praise of the Rooney family for their simple yet profound humanitarian efforts (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2090449/posts). And you certainly won’t hear any praise for the Rooney’s practicing the liberal policies they preach; in 2007 the Steelers hired Mike Tomlin, an African-American, to replace Bill Cowher as head coach. Since taking over the team, Tomlin is 22-10 and has led the team to #2 spot in the 2008-09 AFC playoffs. Instead, you’ll hear Limbaugh picking the Ravens over the Steelers and praising the Ravens defense and its players.

The New Economy

2008-12-12T13:01:00.001-08:00

It looks like Best Buy is now more selective than Harvard:

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=506759

"Admission to Harvard College became more competitive than ever this year, as the school accepted a record-low 9.1 percent of applicants for the Class of 2009, according to figures released on Thursday."

http://www.newsandtribune.com/local/local_story_326131405.html

"Best Buy has hired 21,000 seasonal employees this year, compared to 26,500 last year, spokeswoman Dawn Bryant said. The company has received more than 1 million applications. [2.1%]"

The Winter

2008-11-24T04:14:00.000-08:00

I love West Virginia for many reasons. One of the great features of our state is the climate. We get all four seasons. In the summer, it is hot. In the winter, it is cold and it snows. Our springs and falls are beautiful periods of transition-- life blooms in March and April, and our Septembers and Octobers are a burst of autumn color.

The summers are typically pleasant, and everyone loves a long summer of swimming and relaxing in the shade as the fireflies circle your hammock at dusk. But out winters are cold and quite bleak. The sky is a relentless gray from November until the end of Februray. It gets to you after a while, like Mother Nature's version of Chinese water torture. The first drop is painless. But give it time, and it starts to hurt. And drive you crazy.

When Hollywood decided to make a film version of Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Road, they needed a location that was sunless, gray, and leafless. The Road is about post-Apocalypse America. Something has happened-- McCarthy does not say exactly what occurred-- and the world is mired in environmental disaster. Birds, cows, and trees are extinct. The sky is a constant gray. Ash rains from the sunless sky. Because there is no source of food, gangs of cannibals wander the blighted landscape looking for humans to capture, maim, and eat.

Where did Hollywood find their hell on earth? Southwestern Pennsylvania! Much of the movie was filmed about 30 miles north of Morgantown.

I Did Nothing

2008-11-22T05:58:00.001-08:00

Tree Graffiti, Morgantown

2008-09-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

I Ran with Toby This Morning

2008-09-04T04:41:00.000-07:00

On our run, Toby and I saw Antoinette watering her lawn. We saw Tamara running the opposite direction. We saw the teachers at South pulling into their parking lot. We pooped in front of the ice rink. The softball fields abide in the fog. A golden retriever played fetch on the trail.

Tour de Office Depot

2008-07-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning. I needed to print out a 100-page document I have been hired to edit. I have little toner in my printer, so I decided to head out to Office Depot to get my document printed out. Gas is expensive, and I need the exercise, so I took The Bike.

I modified my bike especially for this trip. I dug out the old iPod speakers that Miles got from a friend. I used zip ties to strap it to my handlebars. I secured the iPod to the device with clear packing tape.

It was hot, even in the early morning (10ish). I stopped by the Farmer’s Market. It was busy, and some vendors were shutting down, all sold out. I got to see Beth and family. The new baby is bigger and she was sleeping hard.

I picked the path of least resistance, which is pretty hard because Office Depot is on the other side of town and between my house and the Office Depot there is a big hill. You cannot go around the hill. You have to go up the hill. I chose Falling Run Road. As I wended my way up the hill, listening to Talking Heads, I stopped at the African woman’s house and asked for water. She heard my iTunes music and she liked it, The Great Curve by Talking Heads, heavily influenced by the African drummers they brought on board for that album. She got down with her baby with me, me and my new water.

I chugged up Falling Run road. Next to me, the guy pushing his mower moved faster. Where is the Falling Run on Falling Run Road? A cool breeze often blows down this road past the university, but I have never seen the run that runs through it.

I cruised past the stadium at bike speed. There was little traffic on this road, so I was comfortable and did not feel the need to look over my shoulder. Patteson Drive was a pain, difficult to cross. But I made it. I printed out my sheets, packed it up and listened to Jonathan Richman as I took a new route home, up University Avenue.

Mac was not around at the Superette. I bought a Powerade, asked for Mac and headed home on Beechurst. The ride down the steep hill from the Law School to the Life Sciences Building was a treat, a nice drift downhill.

I got on the trail at Knapp Hall. I rode to the dam and headed up Don Knotts Boulevard. I got home and peeled off my shirt and nobody knew the difference. “I thought you drove,” they said.

Larry E. Lester

2008-07-03T20:34:00.001-07:00

Larry E. Lester, 60, of Shady Spring, W.Va., went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, July 1, 2008, at his home surrounded by his loving family. Larry’s last word to his fa-mily was “Victory,” letting us know that he has received his victory through the power of the Lord.He was born Oct. 10, 1947, at North Springs, W.Va.Larry served in the United States Army from 1968 to 1970, was a retired coal miner and a member of the UMWA. He enjoyed his family and friends. Larry also had a great passion for fishing and was a talented wood worker. He greatly enjoyed listening to his sons, Jamie and Travis, singing and playing the guitar and mandolin.He was preceded in death by his loving mother, Magnolia Lester; and a sister, Marie Lipe.Larry is survived by his father, Perry E. Lester and wife, Margaret, of Beckley; his loving wife of 30 years, Deborah, with whom he truly found the love of his life and his best friend; his sons, Jamie Darrel Lester and wife, Michelle, of Morgantown and Travis Perry Lester and wife, Melony, of Crab Orchard; his grandchildren, Hannah, Everett, Sophia and Lydia and a grandchild who will be born in December. He also had a special adopted granddaughter, Taylor Stewart. All his grandchildren lovingly referred to him as “Poppy,” and they all know that “Poppy” will be watching over them from the beautiful shores of heaven; a brother, John and his wife, Martha, and a sister, Samantha Kleinfelder and husband, Bill, all of Titusville, Fla.; sisters, Lucy Cooper and husband, Joe, and Sharon Atwell and husband, David, all of Beckley; a sister, Tabitha Maxey and friend, Alvin West, of Kopperston; a sister, Dare Cline and husband, Tony, of Lexington, N.C.; a stepbrother, Guy Bailey and wife, Shelly, of Chicago, Ill. Larry touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with and will be sadly missed by numerous nieces, nephews and friends.Funeral service will be noon Friday at the Oceana First Baptist Church with Pastor Jerry Cook officiating. Larry will be laid to rest in Palm Memorial Gardens, Matheny, W.Va. Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at the church.Close family and friends will serve as pallbearers. Wyoming County Veterans Honor Guard will be conducting Military Graveside Rites.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Southern West Virginia at P.O. Box 1472, Beckley, WV 25802.E-mail letters of sympathy may be sent at www.staffordfamilyfuneralhome.comThe family is being served by the Stafford Family Funeral Home, Lynco.

Sorry I Mised Your Party

2008-06-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is a fine site: http://www.sorryimissedyourparty.com/2008/05/nice-faces.html

Miles and Arj in NYC

2008-05-27T19:14:00.001-07:00

O Bike

2008-05-21T18:35:00.001-07:00

This Year's Halloween Costume

2008-04-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

I get to be the husband.

Conversation with O

2008-04-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

"Dad, I was thinking that most people probably think that the Liberty Bell is the most famous bell."

"I think you are correct O. It is a very famous bell. Are you studying the Liberty Bell in school?"

"No, we're studying space."

Parking Garage Graffiti, Cumberland, Maryland

2008-04-14T21:38:00.001-07:00

Iranian Blogosphere

2008-04-05T19:34:00.001-07:00

The New York Times reported about the state of the Iranian blogosphere, news prompted by a report by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School . The survey of Iranian blogs produced a map of the Iranian "blogosphere," referenced in the NYT article. The article, however, does not list or link to any actual blogs. I took my curiosity one step further and tracked some down.

Some of the blogs are overtly political and support some opposition views. I found one that showed a video of the Quran being burned. Some are not political and are preoccupied with more mundane concerns. It is difficult to get a glimpse of life in Iran through traditional media, and I appreciate the views offered by these native voices.

I include in this list blogs that are pretty active and which talk about contemporary Iranian culture, politics, or society. I omit blogs that simply catalog or present news stories without any comment or response. I also omit blogs posting poetry or art and blogs that are not in English.

Pittsburgh-area couple sues Google over its Street View

2008-04-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that a couple from Franklin Park, PA, north of the city are suing Google over a Street Map view of their property. If you try to look it up, you will find that the Street View image is no longer visible:

You can however, still zoom in from the satelite view and check out the two felled trees in the yard and the area cleared for the pool. It is quite a secluded spot, out in the country in a pretty remote suburb at the end of a country road:

The article states that Christine and Aaron C. Boring are suing over Google's invasion of their privacy. Ms. Boring, who is identified as a school teacher, might also take on The Asbury Park Press. This New Jersey newspaper published the salaries of all teachers in Pennsylvania, further infringing on Ms. Boring's privacy by making public her $42,945 salary with the Northgate School District.

Not a Good Start

2008-03-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported in its breaking news headlines this afternoon that first-year Pirates manager John Russell posted the Opening Day roster for the 7:10 game against the Braves in Atlanta.

It appears that the Buccos will take the field with only eight men in the lineup.

As the lineup illustrates, the Pirates have had a difficult time replacing the long-departed Aramis Ramirez at third base since his trade to the Cubs. Go Bucs! Good luck!

I think it cheapens them as individuals

2008-03-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

From the New York Times obituary of Richard Widmark, Actor, age 93:

He also vowed he would never appear on a talk show on television, saying, “When I see people destroying their privacy — what they think, what they feel — by beaming it out to millions of viewers, I think it cheapens them as individuals.”

Naval Base Coronado Barracks in San Diego, California

2008-03-15T09:08:00.001-07:00

And here is the building in San Diego, also built by the U.S. government. At some point during the review of the blueprints and design drawings, you would think that somebody would have said, "That looks like a swastika. Maybe we should change the design." Image is from Google maps.

I also posted a Google map image of another swastika-shaped building in Alabama.

Wesley Acres Methodist Retirement Home in Decatur, Alabama

2008-03-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

The New York Times discusses the unfortunate shape of this government-built facility in Alabama. It is near Huntsville, the town where Wernher von Braun lived after being rescued from post-war Germany in 1945.

The image is provided by Google maps. You cannot miss it if you search "Wesley Acres Methodist Retirement Home in Decatur, Alabama."

The article mentions another building of a similar design.

Global Warming According to Th. Jefferson

2008-02-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

No less a scholar and politician than Thomas Jefferson made observations on the phenomenon of global warming, way back in 1781 when he wrote:

"A change in our climate, however, is taking place very sensibly. Both heats and colds are become much more moderate, within the memory even of the middle aged. Snows are less frequent and less deep. They do not often lie, below the mountains, more than one, two, or three days, and very rarely a week. They are remembered to have been formerly frequent, deep, and of long continuance. The elderly inform me, the earth used to be covered with snow about three months in every year. The rivers, which then seldom failed to freeze over in the course of the winter, scarcely ever do so now. "

People have the impression that the winters were always worse. There was always more snow and it was always colder. Is this true? I think it is typical human perception that it was always colder, snowier, etc, and Jefferson's writings provide a bit of evidence to this.

Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, p 207 http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JefVirg.html

A Sad Day for the Allman Brothers

2008-01-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

From the Wheeling Obituaries: http://theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/505147.html?nav=516

Elizabeth Reed
POSTED: January 30, 2008

REED, Elizabeth Yano, 88, of Wellsburg, W.Va., died January 29, 2008, in Valley Haven Geriatric Center, Beech Bottom, W.Va.Born January 5, 1920, in Seldom Seen, W.Va.Casual visitation on Thursday, January 31, 2008 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at Reasner Funeral Home, 1515 Charles Street. Wellsburg.Graveside service on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 1 p.m. at Franklin Cemetery, Wellsburg with Joy Leasure, Wellsburg Community of Christ Church, officiating.

My Bingo List

2008-01-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

I played these on Scrabulous since January 5, 2008 in 53 total games.

sTURDIER
FEELiNG
DOILiEs
RElAXES
ROASTING
TORToISE
RElOADED
BOaTING
ORATIOn
TARRIEs
OILIEST
HOISTED
SOUPIEr
CENTERs
CoUNTESS
FARtInG
THiEVES
DILUTEd
ENGINEs
OXIDISES
RACKING
PIGEONS
TRAIPSE
iMPROVE
CHaNGES
DONAtES
TOILETs
LIKINGS
BOViNES
FOUNDERS
ROAsTER

Bill Stewart and Rich Rodriquez: An Objective Comparison

2008-01-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday morning, I pulled out of the Waterfront Place parking lot. I arrived at the stop sign at the same time as an SUV on the opposite side of the intersection. We arrived at the exact same time, and either one of us could have started to move forward. But the courteous driver in the SUV graciously waved me forward, giving me the right of way. The driver of the SUV was Mr. Bill Stewart, new head football coach for the WVU Mountaineers.

I have lived in Morgantown for close to 20 years. During Rich Rodriguez's seven years in Morgantown as head football coach, he never gave me the right of way-- not one single time. I have logged thousands of miles on the roads and highways in and around our community, and Rodriguez never showed me the courtesy and civility that Bill Stewart-- in the job for a mere three weeks-- showed me this past Saturday morning.

I think most Mountaineer fans would agree with me that this lack of courtesy is quite consistent with our former coach's recent behavior. Mr. Stewart's act of charity and generosity is a nice breath of fresh air.

Toby in the Snow

2008-01-07T05:01:00.001-08:00

Portia's Comments on the Matter

2007-12-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

PORTIA: The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

OVMC ICU Waiting Room

2007-12-26T11:52:00.001-08:00

Michigan Gives Detroit to West Virginia

2007-12-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

LANSING, MI -- Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm announced this morning that the state of Michigan will cede the city of Detroit to West Virginia as part of a reparations package to the people of the beleaguered Appalachian state. The early-morning announcement was made after heated around-the-clock negotiations between representatives of the two states.

“We regret the loss of this important city,” commented Governor Granholm, “but we feel it is only right that we repay the people of Virginia for providing our athletic programs with such a rich source of new coaching leaders.”

In the past year, the University of Michigan has hired away the head coaches of West Virginia University’s football and men’s basketball teams. Michigan’s athletic department is also in discussions with Nikki Izzo-Brown, WVU’s women’s soccer coach.

The near systematic raiding of West Virginia’s finest coaches is unprecedented in the history of college athletics. Yet for many long-time residents, the “poaching” of the state’s most valuable resources is an all-too-familiar characteristic of living in West Virginia.

“For decades,” commented Doug Moneypenny of the West Virginia Historical Association “wealthier interests from the northeast and midwest have exploited West Virginia’s resources for out-of-state economic benefit, particularly our coal, natural gas, and timber resources.”

“This is part of the same pattern of resource removal that West Virginians have dealt with since the state was founded during the Civil War,” added Moneypenny. “At least this time our people are receiving something valuable in return.”

“We would have been far more pleased with our first choice—the Upper Peninsula,” commented West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin. “The UP provides some excellent hunting, fishing, and ATV opportunities, and the people of our state would have been more comfortable with adding this territory to the great state of West Virginia.”

“However,” added Governor Manchin, “Detroit is closer.”

Founded in 1760 as Fort Detroit by the British, the city flourished as the hub of the American auto industry during much of the 20th century. Today the city bustles with cosmopolitan attractions such as the Detroit Science Center, the Detroit Symphony, and the Detroit Museum. The city is home to major professional sports teams in baseball, basketball, and ice hockey. In 2006, the city was the site of Super Bowl XL.

With the addition of the 951,000 citizens of Detroit to the state’s existing 1.8 million citizens, West Virginia increases its population by more than 65%. The acquisition of the city also increases the murder rate of the state by 455%. In 2006, 75 murders were committed in West Virginia. In the same year, Detroit experienced 417 homicides.

Image: Detriot residents celebrate the city's transfer to the state of West Virginia.

Old Comic Book Ads

2007-12-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

I scanned a bunch of ads from an old comic we had sitting around the house (Howard the Duck #6, 1976). I love these ads. Get totally huge! Buy old comics! Collect rare coins!

Flood Comparison

2007-12-13T18:49:00.001-08:00

These pictures show the same spot on the Monongahela River in October at normal water levels and earlier today after several days of constant rain. It has finally stopped raining.

1985 Flood

2007-12-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

It is raining, and it is coming down hard. It is a constant deluge. We have not seen this type of weather in a long time.

Whenever it rains hard, I am reminded of the floods in 1985. The '85 flood destroyed homes, killed people, altered whitewater kayaking routes, and generally wreaked havoc on the state. I do not remember it much other than the pictures of brown water flowing where water usually does not flow. I was safe and sound in Wheeling on higher ground, so most of what I saw was on tv or in the paper.

This picture sums up the flood and its devastation.

D.C.'s Last Phone Booth

2007-12-10T08:50:00.001-08:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/21/AR2007112102363_2.html

Step Inside, and Back in Time, and Dial Away
The Area's Last Public Phone Booth Is Shabby but Holding On

By Daniela Deane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 22, 2007; Page B01

It's missing a front door and a plastic pane or two. The phone books are long gone. But there's still a dial tone, and you can still make a call.

It's a Washington monument of sorts, the last known working public phone booth in the region and one of only a handful left in the United States.

The cockeyed relic waits for a caller, or maybe Superman, on North Irving Street in Arlington's Clarendon area. About five calls are placed daily. (By Linda Davidson -- The Washington Post)

Even in this everyone's-got-a-cellphone era, people step into the 1970s booth in Arlington County several times a day to make a call. Officials at Verizon Communications say about five calls a day are made from the booth in Clarendon, which is just like the kind Superman used to duck into.

But time might be running out for this relic. If the phone booth needs replacing, it's, well, history.

"If it gets knocked over, somebody runs into it with their car, or it needs to go for whatever reason, we would not bring in a different phone booth in its place," said Margaretta Rothenberg, a manager in Verizon's pay phone division.

Once a fixture on American street corners, phone booths have largely disappeared from the landscape, despite a lingering nostalgia for them in Hollywood, as evidenced by such films as "Phone Booth," a 2002 thriller about a man trapped in a booth by a sniper, and the "Superman" sequels.

No new public phone booths have been put up in years, officials said. They have been replaced by pedestal-style pay phones, which are easier to maintain, meet national standards for accessibility by the disabled, take up less room and don't attract trash -- or crime.

"There are still a few public phone booths around the country, but not many," said Christy Reap, a Verizon spokeswoman. "There's one on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where the community lobbied us to keep it. There's a few classic ones in some historic towns in Pennsylvania, a few on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and a few on the Jersey Shore. Here in the Washington area, that's the only one, as far as we know."

About a dozen hidden, private phone booths are in St. Mary's County in Southern Maryland, built by Mennonite families for their personal use for religious reasons.

Phone booths are being built -- but without phones. They're called "non-phone phone booths," and they are designed for cellphone users, Rothenberg said.

"They're soundproof rooms, gorgeous rooms with leather walls and opulent decor, where you can go make a call on your own phone," she said. "We're seeing this in restaurants, in upscale hotels. The Biltmore in New York has one. It's driven by what works best for customers."

Phone booths started disappearing in the late 1980s as cellphones gained popularity, said Willard R. Nichols, president of the American Public Communications Council, a national trade association for pay phone operators.

"The cost structure led companies to start putting in smaller cubicles that were less expensive to maintain," Nichols said. "By 2000, all the new installations were cubicles or pedestals."

And under the Americans With Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, phone booths no longer met national accessibility standards.

The cockeyed relic waits for a caller, or maybe Superman, on North Irving Street in Arlington's Clarendon area. About five calls are placed daily.

Pay phones without booths also are vanishing. There were more than 2 million pay phones in the United States in 2000, but the number plummeted to just more than 1 million by 2006, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

During that period, the number of cellphones in use in the country jumped from 90.6 million to 217.4 million, according to the FCC.

Nevertheless, Arlington's telecommunications throwback, which still sports a blue Bell logo, has a loyal following.

"People use it a lot," said Jesse Blount, a mental health advocate at Clarendon House, who can see the phone booth, which is near North Irving Street and 10th Street North, from his desk.

Blount said it is used mostly by people who work nearby and by construction workers in the area. Clients who arrive at Clarendon House, a psychosocial day center, when it is closed make calls there, he said. Blount has used it on occasion when he wanted to make a private call.

"It's necessary, even though it's pretty shabby," he said. "I think they've forgotten about it."

Blount said it is surprisingly safe, though, considering how dilapidated it is.

"You'd think you'd see people trying to do drugs in there or have sex, but none of that ever happens," Blount said. Arlington police reported no phone booth-related incidents.

It's been there so long, in fact, that it's become a bit of a neighborhood plaything.

Julia Casciotti, a 17-year-old senior at Washington-Lee High School, grew up on the next street over. She and several girlfriends -- five at last count -- have crammed into the booth to take pictures of themselves after sleepovers. Over the years, she has also gone in there to play, making pretend calls, "pushing all the buttons and calling the operator."

"It's always just been there," she said. But Casciotti admitted that she's never used the phone -- she's had a cellphone for years -- and hasn't seen anyone else use it.

Daniel Leblanc, 22, has, though. And it kind of freaked him out. He has never used a pay phone.

Leblanc, an intern on Capitol Hill who lives in an apartment nearby, walks by the booth on his way to and from the Metro. Leblanc uses a cellphone and, like many young people nowadays, doesn't have a landline at home.

"The couple times I've seen people using it, I've thought, 'That is really strange,' " Leblanc said. "Frankly, I wondered, 'Don't those people have cellphones.

Davis Grubb

2007-11-22T17:10:00.001-08:00

Greg Leatherman recommended an author to me whom I had somehow missed in all my readings: Davis Grubb. His name had been mentioned to me in the past, but the recommendation did not stick until Greg made me aware of him.

Grubb grew up in Moundsville and Clarksburg during the '30s, a child of misfortunes both in his family and in his Appalachian homeland. Fools' Parade is a novel of three newly released convicts from the West Virginia penitentiary. Grub calls the town Glory, but it is obviously Moundsville. All of the other geographic references are authentic: Parkersburg, Wetzel County, even the "Chapline Street lawyers" who get a young hitman out of the Prunytown juvenile detention center. There are three places in West Virginia you don't want to go: Moundsville (penitentiary), Prunytown (juvenile prison), and Weston (state mental hospital).

Fools' Parade is good but not great. His action can move ploddingly at times and he can beat you over the head with some symbols (Johnny Jesus is one character's name). But every time I feel the story takes too wide a turn toward the maudlin or pedantic, he throws in a detail or a description or a plot twist that reels me back in. He is by no means overappreciated-- he probably gets the attention he deserves. His first novel was made into a film (Night of the Hunter), and the edition I am reading is a 2001 reprint. So people are reading and appreciating him still, and this is good.

Grub is a good writer, and a great writer if you are from the Ohio Valley near Wheeling. His descriptions are often wonderful-- colorful and bordering on the baroque, but keeping it grounded in characters and landscapes decorated with scars and wounds quite visible. Here is one of my favorite passages. It describes what one of the three convicts observes about a freight car passing, a freight car of 1935, the depths of the Great Depression:

"On a track level beneath their own and near the river's shore moved a freight train at a faster speed then theirs. Yet it seemed to stretch endlessly down into the willowed distances and its smoke, in the humidity of the sundown, lay like a ragged pall about its interminable chain of shabby hopper cars, gondolas, flats, wellcars, and boxcars, and then more hoppers and most of them empty of coal but full of men in haphazard and clinging abundance. At first glance there appeared to be a casual festivity about this straggling horde. Those who could not find space in the iron-walled wellcars or inside the boxcars clung to the boxcar hardware or perched on top behind the brakeman's wheel, their gray faces fixed northward toward something. Even the eyes which stared beneath the broken cloth brims or snap-brim caps seemed gray, gray as the face flesh, which was itself gray as the steel of that despairing train. In that distance the train looked like a great iron snake covered with ticks, and the sluggish chuff of its clanging, swaying progress seemed as if it had ong since resigned to serving its body as host to these miles of clustered parasites. They might have been a citizen's army on its roistering way to an unwelcome battle, for there was nothing half so determined in their faces as there was in the desperate enterprise of their way of travel." (32)

Thanks Greg Leatherman. Thanks WVU Library for holding it on your shelves.

My Dad sent me this

2007-11-15T05:14:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my grandfather's grave. My dad sent it to me early this week. He visited the gravesite in a new federal Veteran's cemetery near Pittsburgh on Veteran's Day.

I only met my Dad's dad two or three times in my life that I remember: once in college and once at my wedding but no other times I can remember except as a kid and I don't remember those times but they happenened.

He wrote a memoir of his WWII days as a pilot. Here is an excerpt: "While at Maxwell I had an experience which told me something about myself. I was awakened in the middle of the night by ant bites. I was in the upper bunk of a double deck bunk bed and the Cadet below me was not bothered. I thought I might have something sweet on my body which was attracting them so I got up and took a shower. The next morning I was completely covered with ant bites and hives (a reaction to the ant bites). I went on sick call and they put me in the hospital for three or four days. I learned from this experience that I am hyper-allergic to insect bites." (p. 48)

I inherited my grandfather's deductive reasoning, his penchant for self-reflection, and his eloquent Hemingway-esque prose style. I did not inherit his insect bite allergy.

Phone Booths

2007-11-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

There is a phone booth in my neighborhood-- you can stand in the booth, close the door, deposit your change, and have a conversation in privacy. It is right outside Mundy's Bar and Grill at the end of the street.

I don' see many phone booths any more. In fact, pay phones (without the enclosed booth) are rare. Everyone has cell phones these days. It seems quaint to seek out a pay phone or to use one.

Pay phones touch three of the four dirtiest parts of the human body: the mouth, the ear, and the hands.