Trying to solve yesterday's Wall Street Journal crossword, is this clue for 48 Across: Crude oil, informally. I've known this answer since my age was in single digits, over 40 years.
It involves a man named Jed (a poor mountaineer) who barely kept his family fed. Then one day he was shootin' at some food, when up from the ground comes a bubblin' crude (oil that is, black gold, Texas Tea).
And there it is - TEXAS TEA -the answer.
I am beginning to think crosswords are a form of meditation, unearthing pleasant memories, allowing a few moments of enjoyment, and then on to the next.
Here's my hero Uncle Jed:
PS unpleasant memories, I've tried to quarantine, expurgate, and cement them away. The one of my youngest brother having a small playground slide cutting open his nose when he was 3 or 4 years old almost made its way out over the holidays but I reined it back into its pen.
oh and by the way, I love the TV show the Beverly Hillbillies, absolute gold.
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Saturday, January 04, 2014
Monday, June 01, 2009
Stanley Cup on TV
The finals for the Stanley Cup is on, and has been on TV the past two nights by NBC. The first two games were in Detroit as the Red Wings are playing the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Detroit is one of the USA cities hit hardest by the recession. Motor City - home of most American car makers. Yet - the automaker sponsoring the Cup TV coverage is HONDA. I guess the bailout, and now bankruptcy for GM doesn't allow for product promotion. And the Honda cars look good too - except those eco-friendly cars, yuck.
As I watched the crowd in Detroit I couldn't help thinking that greater than 1 of 10 of those fans is out of work, except that tickets prices are so high that I doubt anyone there doesn't have a job. At least they aren't watching the Detroit NFL Lions (0 - 16 ) last season.
BTW The Red Wings look awesome. Its impossible not to notice how they control the puck, control the opposition physically, and control shots that reach their goalie Osgood so that he can make sound saves.
Detroit is one of the USA cities hit hardest by the recession. Motor City - home of most American car makers. Yet - the automaker sponsoring the Cup TV coverage is HONDA. I guess the bailout, and now bankruptcy for GM doesn't allow for product promotion. And the Honda cars look good too - except those eco-friendly cars, yuck.
As I watched the crowd in Detroit I couldn't help thinking that greater than 1 of 10 of those fans is out of work, except that tickets prices are so high that I doubt anyone there doesn't have a job. At least they aren't watching the Detroit NFL Lions (0 - 16 ) last season.
BTW The Red Wings look awesome. Its impossible not to notice how they control the puck, control the opposition physically, and control shots that reach their goalie Osgood so that he can make sound saves.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Converter box coupon!
Yahoo! Got my coupon in the mail today for my analog to digital converter box. Government bailing me out - finally.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Simpsons Season 4
I have been making my way through my Simpsons dvd's. I started at Season 1 Disk 1 Episode 1 and have progressed episode by episode, sometimes rather slowly, to Season 4 Disk 4. I have got to say it doesn't get much better than Disk 3 of Season 4.
Here are the episodes:
The weaker one in the bunch is "Brother From The Same Planet", but Homer redeems himself by naming constellations for his little brother Pepe ("Well, that one's Jerry, the cowboy. And that big dipper-looking thing is Alan, the cowboy")
And Principal Skinner has a toupee?? From the blackboard of "Brother ..." "The Principal's toupee is not a frisbee"
So - In the picture above, any characters you cannot name?
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Will Shortz on The Simpsons
Will Shortz and Merl Reagle will be on The Simpsons next week. I haven't been watching the new episodes for a long time but will check this one out. Reagle has constructed Simpson packed puzzles for next Sunday as well.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Re-Obama-fication
I can see by the Big Board we've got a Negative Nelly in Sector 2. Prepare for some re-Obama-fication.
Poor Joe The Plumber. Ask a simple question and find yourself a candidate for the Gulag.
Thankfully we have another Joe. The Biden. Both Joes have a knack for telling the truth about the Democrats and Obama. Can't have that tho.
Apparently The Biden has been pulled back into the tall grass and is probably getting some needed re-Obama-fication himself.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Simpsons Overanalysis
I am a big fan of the Simpsons, and have the first 9 seasons on dvd. Over the past many years I have often been disappointed in the recent seasons and how the Simpsons aren't funny anymore, not even the Halloween episodes. Whenever I watch now, it will be something off one of my dvd's and not primetime.
Here's a link to link that takes a thorough look at all this. I think Brad Bird was key.
Here's a link to link that takes a thorough look at all this. I think Brad Bird was key.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Not Tiger
What could make me waste 2 spectacular weekend days in Austin, TX? The Masters golf tourney of course. I have wasted April days in years past and will again in the future. US Open dates too. The Masters, a tradition unlike any other.
Not Tiger. Not Tiger. That's what I've been saying like a mantra nearly this whole weekend - Not Tiger. Tiger Woods that is. I didn't want him to win. I am not a Tiger hater, and I'll explain what I like about Tiger before I am done. I will readily admit he's the best ever, and there will never be another as good as Tiger- ever, but I don't want him to just pile up a bunch of major titles all at once. I estimate Tiger will likely finish his career with 8 or 9 Masters alone.
What bothers me most is the nauseating gush the media, mainly the TV coverage lays on Tiger. The commentators can't help themselves fawning over his greatness. Whenever there's an opportunity to show Tiger on the scoreboard, he will be as high as possible. Usually the number of holes played determines where on the board a player is placed when he is tied with others, but Tiger will always be on top of a list of players he's tied with. After the fourth rounds on Sunday, how many golfers were interviewed on air? Two. Who? Tiger, somewhere near the scorer's tent, and Trevor Immelman the winner right before he got his jacket.
Its also very irritating to watch everyone else in the field self-destruct. After Saturday's round this year there were 5 golfers ahead of Tiger, by as many as 5 shots - and all but 1 failed to keep himself together. Four golfers, and more crumbled out on the slopes of Augusta ( which this year looked especially frightening, and the wind was unsolvable as well ). Can't any of these guys hang with Tiger? Mickelson was horrible, as was Flesch, my brothers in left-handedness. You can count on the field to be painfully undependable when it comes to battling Tiger.
What do I like about Tiger? I will keep this short. He is all business out on the golf course, every shot gets 100% effort and he doesn't like or accept a poor performance - while he is on the course. Is there any shot of his you don't expect to see go in - miracles from him are routine. When Tiger "self-destructs", he finished second.
After his round on Sunday he is being interviewed by CBS reporter Bill McAtee about his "terribly frustrating day." At the time Immelman had double bogeyed 16 and was only 3 shots in front. McAtee's last question for Tiger was, " What do you plan to do now?", of course meaning Immelman is real shakey right now and might falter on 17 and 18 and Tiger you might end up in a playoff. Tiger's answer - "I plan to go get something to eat. I am really hungry"; Tiger knew what the question wanted, an answer saying something like " well I plan to go hit some balls and stay fresh because Trevor might fail and I could still win this thing." No, Tiger paused for effect and finished by saying ' Trevor had a bad hole, but he's solid and will bring this into the clubhouse. ' Tiger knew he did all he could do and was bested - and like the rest of us wanted to eat something and let Immelman enjoy his win. I liked that - Tiger has class - especially the way he toyed with TV.
Good work Trevor Immelman. Thanks for not falling totally to pieces down the stretch, tho you tried to give a lot of it back. And thanks Tiger - you're great, the greatest. Please pardon me if I enjoy seeing the TV guys have a bad day at your expense.
Not Tiger. Not Tiger. That's what I've been saying like a mantra nearly this whole weekend - Not Tiger. Tiger Woods that is. I didn't want him to win. I am not a Tiger hater, and I'll explain what I like about Tiger before I am done. I will readily admit he's the best ever, and there will never be another as good as Tiger- ever, but I don't want him to just pile up a bunch of major titles all at once. I estimate Tiger will likely finish his career with 8 or 9 Masters alone.
What bothers me most is the nauseating gush the media, mainly the TV coverage lays on Tiger. The commentators can't help themselves fawning over his greatness. Whenever there's an opportunity to show Tiger on the scoreboard, he will be as high as possible. Usually the number of holes played determines where on the board a player is placed when he is tied with others, but Tiger will always be on top of a list of players he's tied with. After the fourth rounds on Sunday, how many golfers were interviewed on air? Two. Who? Tiger, somewhere near the scorer's tent, and Trevor Immelman the winner right before he got his jacket.
Its also very irritating to watch everyone else in the field self-destruct. After Saturday's round this year there were 5 golfers ahead of Tiger, by as many as 5 shots - and all but 1 failed to keep himself together. Four golfers, and more crumbled out on the slopes of Augusta ( which this year looked especially frightening, and the wind was unsolvable as well ). Can't any of these guys hang with Tiger? Mickelson was horrible, as was Flesch, my brothers in left-handedness. You can count on the field to be painfully undependable when it comes to battling Tiger.
What do I like about Tiger? I will keep this short. He is all business out on the golf course, every shot gets 100% effort and he doesn't like or accept a poor performance - while he is on the course. Is there any shot of his you don't expect to see go in - miracles from him are routine. When Tiger "self-destructs", he finished second.
After his round on Sunday he is being interviewed by CBS reporter Bill McAtee about his "terribly frustrating day." At the time Immelman had double bogeyed 16 and was only 3 shots in front. McAtee's last question for Tiger was, " What do you plan to do now?", of course meaning Immelman is real shakey right now and might falter on 17 and 18 and Tiger you might end up in a playoff. Tiger's answer - "I plan to go get something to eat. I am really hungry"; Tiger knew what the question wanted, an answer saying something like " well I plan to go hit some balls and stay fresh because Trevor might fail and I could still win this thing." No, Tiger paused for effect and finished by saying ' Trevor had a bad hole, but he's solid and will bring this into the clubhouse. ' Tiger knew he did all he could do and was bested - and like the rest of us wanted to eat something and let Immelman enjoy his win. I liked that - Tiger has class - especially the way he toyed with TV.
Good work Trevor Immelman. Thanks for not falling totally to pieces down the stretch, tho you tried to give a lot of it back. And thanks Tiger - you're great, the greatest. Please pardon me if I enjoy seeing the TV guys have a bad day at your expense.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Chess on TV or In Movies
A recent casual conversation brought up how chess appears in movies or TV shows to portray a character's traits while playing the game. The one discussed the opening scenes of Casablanca in which Rick (Bogart) is playing chess with Peter Lorre. What does chess say about Rick? and why at the beginning of the movie. It turns out Bogart was a big fan of chess and was a fairly strong player.
What movies come to mind that I have seen in which chess featured? Searching For Bobby Fischer immediately pops up. Chess was used a device to illustrate a child's gift and the changes this gift brings to his family. Lots of chess action, and players are not necessarily made fun of. Next is 2001 A Space Odyssey in which the computer HAL plays chess with the astronauts. Nice use of chess here to convey the computer's precision in planning and strategies to defeat mere frail humans. The first Harry Potter movie uses chess as a protective obstacle for the Sorcerer's Stone, and here demonstrates one of the character's willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of the others (altho in the end he survives of course). Finally from my memory comes Stalag 17 where one of the chess pieces is used to inform Nazi prison camp guards of allied POW plans for escapes. I think a James Bond movie has chess but a can't find it in my memory.
I can only think of three TV shows that had chess anywhere in them. The first was Star Trek. For some reason Capt Kirk is able to defeat Spock on a fairly routine basis, probably to show that Kirk relies on a fusion of logic, emotion, and intellect to strategize while Spock is logic bound. However in one episode Spock is able to defeat the ship's computer in three straight games when he should only be able to draw - this clues Spock to conclude that the computer is malfunctioning and therefore some intruder is aboard. Genius. The TV mystery series Columbo had an excellent episode in which two chess grandmasters are competing in a match and one ends up murdering the other, or else Columbo wouldn't have anything to do. I recall an interesting restaurant scene in which the two players begin playing a game using items found on the tables for pieces (olives, salt shakers etc) and the gingham table cloth as the board, and I believe the outcome of that game provided the final straw for one GM to kill the other. Lastly is the Cosby Show but since I rarely watched it I don't remember why it was used. Probably so Cliff could talk a big game only to be defeated by Rudy.
That's all I can conjure up. I know there are others. Give me time to remember. Chess is usually a metaphor for stuffy, nerdy, or other diminutive characterizations, but the above shows used it quite effectively and in a good chess light.
What movies come to mind that I have seen in which chess featured? Searching For Bobby Fischer immediately pops up. Chess was used a device to illustrate a child's gift and the changes this gift brings to his family. Lots of chess action, and players are not necessarily made fun of. Next is 2001 A Space Odyssey in which the computer HAL plays chess with the astronauts. Nice use of chess here to convey the computer's precision in planning and strategies to defeat mere frail humans. The first Harry Potter movie uses chess as a protective obstacle for the Sorcerer's Stone, and here demonstrates one of the character's willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of the others (altho in the end he survives of course). Finally from my memory comes Stalag 17 where one of the chess pieces is used to inform Nazi prison camp guards of allied POW plans for escapes. I think a James Bond movie has chess but a can't find it in my memory.
I can only think of three TV shows that had chess anywhere in them. The first was Star Trek. For some reason Capt Kirk is able to defeat Spock on a fairly routine basis, probably to show that Kirk relies on a fusion of logic, emotion, and intellect to strategize while Spock is logic bound. However in one episode Spock is able to defeat the ship's computer in three straight games when he should only be able to draw - this clues Spock to conclude that the computer is malfunctioning and therefore some intruder is aboard. Genius. The TV mystery series Columbo had an excellent episode in which two chess grandmasters are competing in a match and one ends up murdering the other, or else Columbo wouldn't have anything to do. I recall an interesting restaurant scene in which the two players begin playing a game using items found on the tables for pieces (olives, salt shakers etc) and the gingham table cloth as the board, and I believe the outcome of that game provided the final straw for one GM to kill the other. Lastly is the Cosby Show but since I rarely watched it I don't remember why it was used. Probably so Cliff could talk a big game only to be defeated by Rudy.
That's all I can conjure up. I know there are others. Give me time to remember. Chess is usually a metaphor for stuffy, nerdy, or other diminutive characterizations, but the above shows used it quite effectively and in a good chess light.
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