This was too good to pass up.
A man groped the nurse helping to deliver his baby. He was arrested and missed the birth altogether.
Maybe it’s you (or us … or just America, in general)
Posted in Humor, Journalism with tags Atlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Internet, newspapers, Winder Ga. on October 19, 2009 by macmysteryI am all to aware about the myriad of reasons why newspapers are failing and journalism, in general, is in decline.
And journalists — newspaper journalists specifically — who blame the reader (the consumer, essentially) should usually be admonished, and rightly so. The consumer (reader) simply wants the product (information) faster and in a way traditional newspapers can’t (or won’t) provide it (via TV, the Web, handheld or social media, etc.).
But where the reader can be held accountable is in WHAT information they want. Not enough people seem to care about the things that really matter anymore. Maybe that’s a problem with America, in general.
Here’s a prime example I find humorous.
The city of Atlanta is in the midst of its most important mayoral election in decades. The health care reform being debated in Congress, as well as in the court of public opinion, will affect virtually every Amercian in some way. We’re fighting a war in Afghanistan. And the H1N1 strain of the flu — swine flu, if you will — is spreading faster than expected and is killing our young people.
Yet, these were the three most popular stories on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for last week:
1. UGA football player arrested, suspended
2. Winder man dies from rattlesnake bite
… and my favorite …
3. Man gropes nurse who was helping deliver his baby
The last one is so good, I might just have to post it myself.
They don’t make ’em like they used to
Posted in Odd, Uncategorized with tags AOL.com, Cars, Chevrolet, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Safety on October 19, 2009 by macmysteryI thought this was interesting. I found it on the auto page at AOL.com.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air in near perfect condition and decided to crash it head on at 40 mph with a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu to illustrate what progress in safety had been made in 50 years of American car manufacturing.
Take a look. I took particular note of how fast the airbag in the 2009 Malibu deployed. The driver never sniffed the steering wheel, much less the windshield.
As for the driver of the Bel-Air, well, he didn’t hit the windshield either. But that’s because he had a steering column coming through the back of his spine.
Dylan and Danny
Posted in Family, Sports with tags Clemson, college football, Danny Ford, Dylan, Ella, Spartanburg, Wild Wing Cafe on October 19, 2009 by macmystery
Two of my favorite people -- Dylan and Danny Ford.
I went to the Spartanburg Touchdown Club meeting on Friday at Wild Wing Cafe in downtown Spartanburg to hear former Clemson football coach Danny Ford speak.
Dylan loves Wild Wing, and since he had a big program at school (that his grade wasn’t even allowed to attend) and then early dismissal, I took him along.
He was excited to wear his Clemson jersey and take his clemson football to have Coach Ford autograph it, even though he has no real idea who Coach Ford is. Coach of the 1981 national champions somehow doesn’t mean as much to him as to me.
He got to eat chicken fingers, hang out with the grown-ups (the thrill of missing school played a role, as well) and get his picture made with someone who his daddy liked a lot. And he loved it, especially since Mommy and Ella didn’t get to come along.
The picture doesn’t mean a lot to him, but hopefully one day he’ll understand why it does for me.
Hogwarts, S.C.
Posted in Books, Family, Movies with tags Dylan, Greenville County, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, quidditch, Roper Mountain Science Center, The Tales of Beetle the Bard on October 19, 2009 by macmystery
Dylan reluctantly pets the dragon. Hagrid would be proud.
In yet another installment of Daddy and Dylan Day, Dylan and I went all wizard last Saturday.
The Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville County hosted “The Science of Harry Potter.”
The program, which is an excuse to get kids and parents into the science center, married its exhibits with themes from the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling.
The program, open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., was a lot to take in. There was no way we would be able to see everything, and there was a lot.
Among the activities:
- Hold mice, snakes and a dragon.
- The chance to meet and hold these Hogwarts creatures … tarantulas, giant toads and a python.
- Quidditch demos … Well, this is as close as you can come to quidditch without being able to fly. There was a Harry Potter day camp back in the summer where the kids played quidditch, apparently. Some of the pupils were brought back to demonstrate the sport. There were hula-hoops suspended from trees branches for the rings. Soccer balls were used, and a tennis ball was the golden snitch. And did I mention there was no flying? Dylan was not impressed.
- Old-fashioned broom making
- The younger kids made bitty brooms from small sticks and yarn.
- Among several demonstrations at the planetarium, there was a chart showing how all the names of the Black family (as in Sirius) corresponded with astronomy.
- The kids could take a tour of the forbidden forest and discuss the botany of wands.
- There were readings from “The Tales of Beetle the Bard.”
- Wandmaking … using pretzels, chocolate and sprinkles.
- Learning to write with quills.
- Herbology … making your own herbal tea bag.
- Meeting a live barred owl.
- Photo opportunities with the Sorting Hat.
- Potions lab … activities such as making slime, smoke, etc.
Dylan loved it. Even if the ties to Harry Potter weren’t always so strong. Really, the whole point is just to get you into the science center. Once you’re there, there’s almost no choice but to learn. And it was well worth the $9 total it took for us to get in.
When Harry Potter camp comes up next summer, I think we’ll be there.
Raising Two Americans 