A Concert Sponsored by the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage, Inc.

This evening, I attended a concert to benefit the Alexandria Black history Museum at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria. As I had mentioned last month in a post about this topic, this was a very inspirational evening of gospel music full of life and spirit.

Performing in the concert were three groups: The Daughters of Miriam from Meade Memorial Episcopal Church, the Heritage Signature Chorale, and Seasons. The position of Mistress of Ceremony was given to Roslyn McCallister Brock, Vice Chairman of the NAACP. The songs which were sung included: Steady Soldier, Jesus is a Rock, The Last Words of David, and Wade In The Water.

As a whole, I am very hopeful that this concert will become a yearly tradition for Alexandria and more popularity will come from it. The performances that were given this evening were stellar and could rival any that are seen at other venues in the Washington DC Metro area.

His name be Hornswoggle McMahon

Once known as Little Bastard, Hornswoggle is currently the Cruiserweight Champion on Smackdown! In addition to that, it was announced tonight that he is the illegitimate son of Vince McMahon. Who would have thought it could have been him? I guess Vince likes it when Irish eyes are smiling.

Which Soprano's Mobster Are You?

Which Sopranos Mobster are you? Silvio Dante Consigliere to Tony

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

NLS vs. ODBA

Post has been somewhat light for me lately as I have been preparing for a new school year at work. While I have been putting together outlines, building powerpoint presentations, and attempting to sift through the madness that is book order backups, construction mayhem, new employees, and the 50th anniversary of the school, I have noticed the Virginia blog scene has lit up like a Christmas tree.

So what has been making all of this happen? Well, it seems that Ben Tribbett has taken issue with the Old Dominion Blog Alliance. A lot of this stems from how the ODBA had a site named for them and it was linked to NAMBLA. Now, I for one think NAMBLA has no right to exist under any circumstance, but that is beside the point.

The point here is that Ben is under the impression that the ODBA, which is overwhelmingly conservative, is much like NAMBLA in trying to protect their own views under the First Amendment. In his own view, Ben has stated “A majority of that group has either made outright racist or jew-baiting comments in just the last year- it is a sick, out of control group that deserves to be compared to other sick and out of control groups.”

What makes this comment rather ironic is how if a person were to read a number of the comments on his own blog, quite a number of insensitive, racist, and extremely bating type comments have been said. Needless to say, other blogs have fired shots at NLS and now we find ourselves in a good old fashioned pissing match.

In one corner, we have NLS. In the other, we have Virginia Virtucon. These are the two big time combatants. It got really bad when Joe Stanley was revealed as the person who link ODBA to NAMBLA. Now fingers point to Ben as a possible accomplice. I don’t know for sure if this is true or not, but I have to think some of the evidence does mount to one thinking that it is true.

Reason? NLS has admitted he can track IP Addresses on his comments section and is able to track down the location of where the comments come from. Personally, I think this falls pretty darn close to stalking, however; this does fall close into a gray area. If you track a person like that, then it is possible to help another person try to do something so blatantly horrible as linking a group with NAMBLA.

So what is the difference between the dribble that comes out of NLS and the dribble that comes out of blogs from ODBA? Answer: NOTHING. Everyone can say what they wish in this country. That is the beauty of the First Amendment. Can you go out into the middle of a public square and say anything that is racist, sexist, cruel, and evil? You can bet your bottom dollar on it. Is it a wise thing to do? No, because common sense says so.

As a writer on a blog, responsibility is needed for what you write. Think before it happens. If you are going to make claims, then back it up. More importantly, everyone is entitled to their opinion. The biggest thing I have found is that when a person make a poignant point that makes sense, those who in principal should disagree with the comment will look for ways to belittle it or just ignore it in general.

My final thoughts on this topic is rather simple: grow up! Grow up Ben. Grow up Virtucon. Grow up Joe Stanley. Grow up to everyone who is in the pissing match that is going on over the web. It was noted last year that blogs get a bad wrap because of the petty bickering which can occur on them. This proves it all the more. What is next? Is a comment on a blog going to lead to a death here in NOVA. Ask Mary Washington University about that. A student was killed because he post on MySpace his loyalty to the Republican party.

So in the end, to everyone, grow up and get a life that does not involve politics in any way, shape, or form. It isn’t that hard and who knows, maybe you will like it.

Its That Time of Year.....

They're going back to school! Teachers are preparing themselves this week for the onslaught of new students to have to deal with. Say a prayer for me....I'm going back in.

Simpsons Do The Presidents

This is one of the best clips from the Simpsons of all time. There is only one thing to say about it...TO THE LIBRARY!

African American History on Virginia Time Travel

Today marked the first day of the new taping season for Virginia Time Travel. Two shows were taped, but one is going to be rushed through post production for immediate airing. This month's show deals with African American history in Alexandria, Virginia.

The show has Audrey Davis and Carlton Funn Sr. discussing their respective organizations and how they impact black history in Alexandria. Ms. Davis is the Assistant Director and Curator for the Alexandria Black History Museum. Mr. Funn is the Chairman of the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage.

During the interview, both gave a great deal of stories and information pertaining to the history of Alexandria for African Americans. It is a truly inspiring episode that was taped and I am happy that it went off as well as it did. So I have a trivia question for my readers: Who was the first black basketball player in the NBA?

What is rather interesting is some of the stories around this man and how so very few people know about him. In addition to that, we discussed a man by the name of Charles Hamilton Houston. Not a lot of folks will know he is, but I promise you, when you see the show, you will be amazed at the new information you receive about this man.

Overall, I think this will be one of the best episodes that we have ever taped. For those who are out of the area, I highly recommend working to get local television stations to contact Channel 10 studios here in Merrifield, Virginia, and have a copy of the show sent to your stations to be aired.

For those in the viewing area, Virginia Time Travel aires on Channel 10 and this episode will have their aire dates: August 23 at 600pm, August 24 at 900pm, and August 27 at 600am. I hope you all watch and I think you will be greatly impressed by what you will see.

So who is the greatest Prime Minister of Great Britain?

Barney Gumble says is Lord Palmerston. Wade Bogss thinks it is Pitt the Elder. So what do you all think? I know who my choice is: Francis Urquhart!

How Did I Miss This One?

Hat Tip has to go to Virtucon for this one. It would seem that the Fairfax County Library system has decided it is time to overhaul the stacks and shelves in each library to help make room for new books. As a person who worked in a library for four years, I know for a fact that trying to get more room for new books is a tricky thing to do, especially when the walls for a room are set and only a certain number of shelves can exist is a degree of space.

As a result, some books have to be pulled in order to help make room. It would seem though that libraries have decided that the opinion of Oprah Winfrey and her book club is more important than having such titles as The Aeneid, Jane Eyre, The Sound and the Fury, and For Whom the Bell Tolls.

While not every book is going to necessarily be read, there are occassions where one may need an old title from a library. According to some folks, patrons of a library can do an ILL (Inter Library Loan) and the title they want can be found within a week. Problem with a county ILL is that if the entire county gets rid of a book, then you got to go elsewhere in the state, then surrounding states, and then the country.

There is always the option of buying a book, but students are not going to go out of their way to buy a book they are suppossed to read. They would sooner spend their money on Cliffnotes and "read" their books that way.

I think the real problem we are facing now with a situation like this is that a generation of lazy students, who in turn into a generation of lazy adults, is beyond the beginning stages and moving into full fledge motion. Sources like the internet, and especially Wikipedia, have made some people believe that if you cannot find the information online, then it must not exist.

There is something to be said about the old, look it up, mentality. If you research a project by doing the investigation and reading a book, you discover there is more than meets the eye. A research paper can take on a new direction simply by reading an extra paragraph or two in a book.

So how do we save classic books fro disappearing and other books which have social relavance from going to the wind? I for one think it is high time libraries be used for the purpose of education once agian and rid themselves of books which can otherwise be found at a local bookstore.

Ghost and Graveyard Tours

Recently I got involved with the Alexandria Colonial Tour company based, obviously, in Alexandria. Wednesday through Sunday, the company will take you out and walk the streets of Alexandria telling a variety of stories about those who died and decided not to leave the area.

There is lots of fun to be had and you get to meet some great personalities while out on the tours. I highly suggest coming out to taking a a tour and when October rolles around it is even better because Halloween is just around the corner!

Pelosi vs. Sheehan: It Could Happen

Cindy Sheehan has announced that if Nancy Pelosi does not file Articles of Impeachment against President Bush, then she (Sheehan) will run against the Speaker in November 2008 as an Independent. Sheehan's belief is that Pelosi has let down those who worked to get the Democrats back in control of Congress after twelve years of sitting as the back benchers.

As I look at this situation, I have to admit being a government teacher does give me a little bit of insight as to what the problems of this situation is. First, lets look at this from Pelosi's point of view. For the Speaker, she has to not only act as the head of her party in Congress, but needs to keep things moving forward in the country. She claims that July will be a month of action when it comes to Iraq, but considering the track record of a Democratically controlled Congress thus far, one has to wonder. As near as I can tell, Congress has YET to have a five day work week. In addition to that, the amount of pork barrel legislation that has gone through Congress does not appear to have slowed down at all. Finally, we have the debacle of the Immigration Reform bill. In addition to this, we have a new problem for Democrats: grassroot supporters with their own agendas.

Let's be honest here, there were a lot of people here in Virginia who tried to rally to break a number of Republican strongholds. Once the Democrats who got elected into office were seen, it was very notable to discover that CONSERVATIVE Democrats got elected overwhelmingly compared to LIBERAL Democrats. Reason? Because this country is a lot more conservative than I think some folks out there are willing to admit to. While it is clear that there are those who fall on one side of the track or the other, the fact still remains that the middle of the country has some areas of conservatism that runs deeper than other areas. Once the Democrats showed that they were going to have to work with Republicans, or that not every Democrats was going to march in line behind the others, the grassroots movement folks decided to complain and take issue with their former figureheads.

Now we get to Sheehan. For the mother of a fallen soldier, her story is one that a number of families have suffered through over the years. However, I think the problem here is that she doesn't quite understand the ways in which politics work. She is flat out saying that unless something is done, she is going to take action against those who did not do as she said. Sound familiar? Terrorists like to make demands of us and then threaten to attack.

Now, I am not comparing Sheehan to terrorists, so please do not accuse me of that. I am trying to draw a parallel. The problem Sheehan has is that she is literally a one trick pony. If placed in a debate against Pelosi and Republican challenger, she will get destroyed in the debate. In addition to that, President Bush will not be much of a whipping horse to deal with. Democrats will likely have either Hillary Clinton or Barak Obama as their standard bearer in 2008. Depending on the support that Democrats can get from their potential presidential leader, I think Pelosi will not have any problems getting re-elected.

Sheehan's primary issue, Iraq, will need to remain an area of contention and something she can exploit for over a year. While San Fransisco is exceptionally liberal, I think voters are not going to vote for Sheehan because her lack of experience and knowledge as to what to do in a political realm will be exposed very quickly. In addition to this, an Independent candidate has the biggest mountain to climb. Unless Sheehan can get enough monetary and popular support early and sustain it, the odds are against her in making even the biggest of ripples in a political pool.

North and South

One of the greatest miniseries of all time. I have got to find some time to watch the whole thing again. And VH1 got it right: I slavery is wrong and everything, but how can you possibly root against the South? They got Patrick freakin Swayzee!!!!!!!!

Chris Benoit 1967-2007

World Heavyweight Champion
4 time Intercontinental Champion
3 time WWE World Tag Team Champion
3 time WWE United States Champion
WWE Tag Team Champion
WCW World Heavyweight Champion
3 time WCW Television Champion
2 time WCW Tag Team Champion
2 time WCW United States Champion
Universal Wrestling Association Light Heavyweight Champion
4 time Stampede British Commonwealth Mid Heavyweight Champion
4 time Stampede International Tag Team Champion
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion

Chris Benoit held 30 titles in a 22 year career. If you do the averages, there wasn't a single year of his career then where he did not hold a title belt. Even if he were to have another title for 8 more years, he could say upon retirement that every year of his career would have one title based off of the number of belts he wore around hsi waist. His career screams Hall of Fame bound.

Sadly, this will not be the case. It has been announced Chris Benoit strangled his wife, smothered his son, and then hung himself. Like many people around the world who love wrestling, I am STUNNED by this. Usually when I hear about a wrestler who dies, it comes with them having died in their hotel room due to previous years abuse of drugs. This set of circumstances surrounding Chris Benoit is nothing short of mind bending. The investigation is looking into whether or not Benoit took steroids before the murders had occured. If that is the case, this could be chalked up towards roid rage, but it is still an embarrassing and difficult situation for WWE officials to deal with as this will undoubtedly call into question the legitimacy of their wellness policy in regards to wrestlers not using drugs.

WWE has already begun distancing themselves from Chris Benoit. His name is being removed from virtually everything and it will be very interesting to see how their storylines will be developed following this tragic incident. While Chris Benoit may never end up in the Hall of Fame, his career is one which will certainly be very impressive, at least in terms of athletics. Sadly, I fer Chris Benoit now must join the ranks of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Pete Rose. This isn't the way his career should of ended.

American Film Institute's Top 100 Films

Below are the top 100 films made in America that the AFI found to be the best of the best. Back in 1998 Citizen Kane held the top honor and it is still the reigning and defending champion. I placed into bold the films I have seen. Out of the top ten, I have seen 8/10. Over all, I have seen 47/100. Not too bad all things considered. I think a big reason for being able to see a lot of these films is because DVDs are now being released featuring these titles, along with the fact that Turner Classic Movies gives a great line up of films every so often. So how does everyone else rank on the film list? Do you think there should be a film on this list that didn't make it? Personally, I think Birth of a Nation should have been on it. Yes, I know there is a great deal of controversy around the movie, but as a social and historical tool, it is a film that did a lot to the movie industry and to the nation's history. I also think the original Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ should have been on here as well.

1. "Citizen Kane," 1941.
2. "The Godfather," 1972.
3. "Casablanca," 1942.
4. "Raging Bull," 1980.
5. "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.
6. "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.
8. "Schindler's List," 1993.
9. "Vertigo," 1958.
10. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
11. "City Lights," 1931.
12. "The Searchers," 1956.
13. "Star Wars," 1977.
14. "Psycho," 1960.
15. "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.
16. "Sunset Blvd.", 1950.
17. "The Graduate," 1967.
18. "The General," 1927.
19. "On the Waterfront," 1954.
20. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.
21. "Chinatown," 1974.
22. "Some Like It Hot," 1959.
23. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940.
24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.
25. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.
26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939.
27. "High Noon," 1952.
28. "All About Eve," 1950.
29. "Double Indemnity," 1944.
30. "Apocalypse Now," 1979.
31. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.
32. "The Godfather Part II," 1974.
33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975.
34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.
35. "Annie Hall," 1977.
36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957.
37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946.
38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.
39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.
40. "The Sound of Music," 1965.
41. "King Kong," 1933.
42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.
43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.
44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.
45. "Shane," 1953.
46. "It Happened One Night," 1934.
47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.
48. "Rear Window," 1954.
49. "Intolerance," 1916.
50. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.
51. "West Side Story," 1961.
52. "Taxi Driver," 1976.
53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978.
54. "M-A-S-H," 1970.
55. "North by Northwest," 1959.
56. "Jaws," 1975.
57. "Rocky," 1976.
58. "The Gold Rush," 1925.
59. "Nashville," 1975.
60. "Duck Soup," 1933.
61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941.
62. "American Graffiti," 1973.
63. "Cabaret," 1972.
64. "Network," 1976.
65. "The African Queen," 1951.
66. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981.
67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966.
68. "Unforgiven," 1992.
69. "Tootsie," 1982.
70. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.
71. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.
72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994.
73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.
74. "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.
75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.
76. "Forrest Gump," 1994.
77. "All the President's Men," 1976.
78. "Modern Times," 1936.
79. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.
80. "The Apartment, 1960.
81. "Spartacus," 1960.
82. "Sunrise," 1927.
83. "Titanic," 1997.
84. "Easy Rider," 1969.
85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935.
86. "Platoon," 1986.
87. "12 Angry Men," 1957.
88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938.
89. "The Sixth Sense," 1999.
90. "Swing Time," 1936.
91. "Sophie's Choice," 1982.
92. "Goodfellas," 1990.
93. "The French Connection," 1971.
94. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.
95. "The Last Picture Show," 1971.
96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989.
97. "Blade Runner," 1982.
98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.
99. "Toy Story," 1995.
100. "Ben-Hur," 1959.

Amendment To Be

Prepare ship...

Prepare ship for Ludicrous Speed!

School's Out For Summer!!!!!!!!

Amen!

I got a fever.....

and the only prescription is MORE COWBELL!!!!!!!!!

20 Years Ago...

Hat tip to Riley over at Virtucon.

"Because we remained strong, the Soviets came back to the table." -Ronald Reagan.

Words which say it all. It meant a lot then and in today's world, I think those words mean more now. As long as we remain strong, the terrorists will never win.

CHUCK NORRIS FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chuck's Platform:

1. Require members of Congress to work out on the Total Gym 15 minutes each day – or else they can't vote on anything.

2. Cut spending by dismissing the Secret Service, at least for my eight years in office (why would I need them?).

3. Resurrect Bruce Lee and appoint him head of homeland security (OK, the CIA and FBI too).

4. Give a presidential pardon to … no one, ever. Baretta was right in the '70s, "Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time. Don't do it!"

5. Turn the Rose Garden into a new fighting ring for the World Combat League, in which liberals and conservatives will fight for legislative leadership and priority. (For fun, Saturday night fights will feature a recurring bout between Hannity and Colmes). "American Idol" already told me they will provide the entertainment.

6. Require Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to personally pay for national, comprehensive medical coverage for every American (or meet me in the Rose Garden).

7. Increase jobs in America by sending ninja teams to sabotage and steal them back from other countries.

8. Tattoo an American flag with the words, "In God we trust," on the forehead of every atheist.

9. Give a tax credit to anyone naming their children Walker or Texas Ranger (excluding Will Farrell).

10. Resolve the Iraq war by bringing all of our military personnel home immediately, then going over there by myself for "martial arts negotiations."

11. Hang Saddam Hussein (Whoops – scratch that – already did it undercover).

11. Convey my plan for world peace to the United Nations: taking the governor of California with me on our "kick butt and ask questions later" USO world tour.

12. Give every new military enlistee abroad a copy of my upcoming new book, "The Threat of Justice," with the words, "Arnold and I will be back to pump you up!" above my autograph.

13. Bring on Donald Trump as my apprentice. When my presidential term is complete and he has obtained his black belt, or whichever comes first, he can buy the White House and of course rename it (to, what else, "The Trump House").

14. Create new immigration legislation: to deport all liberals (then force them to listen to Bill O' Reilly every day for five years, at which point they may return).

15. Ask producer Mark Barnett to film "Survivor – Camp David," where world leaders will meet annually, for an all-out cage-fighting championship. The winner will take home $1,000,000 in Disney Dollars, good in Europe or America.

16. Send an autographed photo of me and my horse (no dogs in my White House) to everyone who commits to read my new WorldNetDaily "presidential column" and blast a blog who dares to disagree with me.

17. Complete the plan to bring Tony Blair to the U.S. as my vice president.

18. Expose the real WMDs – my fists and feet.

19. Replace Letterman, Leno or Conan once monthly, since stand-up comedy is what most governmental officials do anyway.

20. Ask Al Gore to provide me with a special governmental study on the connection between spotted owl extinction and global warming. (I'm pretty sure Michael Moore will film the docudrama).

21. Help Rosie transition from "The View" to the pew – it might help her get over that anger problem. If the pew doesn't work, she can spar Trump in the Rose Garden.

First and foremost, however, his greatest priorities will be to …

Personally smoke out bin Laden by myself and round-house kick him all the way back to America, where my United Fighting Arts Federation will handle the justice issues.

Make all Chuck Norris facts come true (well, not quite all of them – I'm a happily, married man!)

I for one, LOVE this platform. I could easily get behind this one 100%. Sadly, I don't think Chuck is going to run. While he puts his support behind Newt Gingrich, I think I might have to risk facing a possible round house kick by backing Fred Thompson.