Nana and the Devil

'Nana and the Devil' is my title for one of the first books I learned to read on my own. The correct title is "The Devil Did It."

This post is not about Nana or the Devil. I typed 'N" in the title field and it populated with 'Nana and the Devil.' I decided to keep it.

I decided in this post to wax poetic about the new template that I chose for this blogs and my slowly but surely deciphering of the code.

I do consider it a major achievement that I brought some organization to my "Links" section.

I do think that I have gone a bit "add-on" happy.

I do think that I would like to do this for a living.

I think that I really like pink and purple and all things green.

More lessons learned from sports

Well, Saturday, January 14, 2006 was an interesting sports day to say the least.

The 2006 State Farm US National Figure Skating Championships took place with a mixed level of enthusiasm. Echoing the much referred to 1994 season, the US was sending a team that would have a couple of medalists at best but surely no sure bets for gold. None of the men from 2002 repeated. Michael Weiss and Timothy Goebel washed out and badly. So badly that Matt Savoie, who usually places off of the podium, skated the second best free skate and is going to the Olympics. Joining him will be Evan Lysacek, the surprise of the 2005 US Nationals and the World Championships and the off-center but interesting to watch Johnny Weir, who has created Bodie Miller-like buzz about due to some analogies he made about skating and drugs.

Sasha Cohen finally won her first gold medal at the US Nationals at a competition that did not feature Michelle Kwan. To give my least favorite skater some credit, the choreography of her program was wonderful and if she can execute it flawless, she does have a chance of getting a medal. She is at least proficient enough to pull it off. I reserve the right to be snarky and say that she only did as well as she did because Michelle Kwan was not there and perhaps being sick helped her to focus. Kimmie Meissner, who I call "Money" because of her reliable jumping (at least until last night), will be going to Olympics also. It will be a great experience for her though I do feel that if she medals it will be because the other women wash out. Artistically, she still has room to grow.

It looks like pending a January 27th judgment, Michelle Kwan is on the Olympic team. Again, echoing the 1994 season, Michelle petitioned for her spot since due to a groin injury, she could not compete in the US Nationals, from which final team is chosen. Also in a weird irony, Emily Hughes, sister of Sarah-the one who beat Michelle out for the gold in 2002, will be the alternate if Michelle gets the final okay to go.

ABC's broadcast featured not just the usual suspects-Dick Button, Peggy Fleming, Peter Carruthers and Terry "I can't believe he played basketball on the 1983 NCAA winning NC State team" Gannon-but 1984 and 1988 Olympic gold medalist Katarina Wiit and 4 time World Champion Kurt Browning. One thing I found unusual about this was that both skaters are not US citizens. They were not doing commentary on their respective countries (Germany and Canada). I also have never seen both take up commentator duties but it was interesting to see Kurt Browning behave quite seriously. I suspect that ABC feels that Dick and even Peggy (who is in her late 50s and still looks like a millions bucks) are a wee bit long in the tooth and if they are going to infuse their broadcast with new blood, it should be now.

Katarina Witt provided a line that pretty much provided the moral for both the skating and the football competitions that took place on January 14th. When asked by Terry Gannon about Michelle Kwan and if she should be added to the Olympic Team by a medical bye, Katarina Witt said that "she should only go if she intends to win the gold medal." She further said that there would be no other reason to justify going. Michelle must be beyond determined to bring home a gold medal. If this is not what Michelle is after, if she has any doubt, if she is only doing it because this is expected of her, then she should let someone else go. She has two Olympic medals and other honors. The only reason to go through this process would be to bring back a gold medal.

Now, those who know me, know that I am not a fan of Katarina Witt. This goes back to the 1988 Olympics. She captured the gold medal away from my favorite, Debi Thomas. I saw Katarina as having no talent and benefitting more from her classical features (read: being white) than from any technical skill. I have since amended that perspective after gaining some years (I was in grade school at the time of the Calgary Olympics) and some information.

I learned that Debi Thomas' third place finish at Calgary had more to do with the insanely high ranking that the judges gave to Canada's Liz Manley, who had a mediocre program but had landed all of her jumps relatively cleanly. She beat Debi, whose falls definitely cost her gold but would have been enough for silver had not the vote gone the way it did. I also learned that Katarina Witt pretty much had to win gold or else face a life that had no real future. Katarina was a product of extremely repressive East Germany. Winning the gold meant that she could be allowed to leave the country and tour and obtain a better life for herself. No one foresaw the Berlin wall coming down in 1989. Brian Boitano also said in his reflection of the competition that Katarina wanted the gold medal more than Debi did. I at first took issue with that but then I remembered all the times where Debi talked about being a doctor and how skating, while something that she loved to do was not her ultimate destination. At the "kiss and cry" in 1988 after her less than best long program, she said that it was back to school. If Debi had won, what kind of destiny would have been Katarina Witt's? Would she have been as well known? Would she have been able to continue?

Knowing what I know now, makes me more appreciative of the hitsuzen or fate of the situation, but I still find Katarina Witt's skating to be boring and I still think that Debi Thomas was a better skater than she was. I do also appreciate what she tried to communicate to Michelle Kwan. It was in the same vein as NBA star Karl Malone's talk with Michelle.

The New England Patriots lost in the postseason to the Denver Broncos. While most analysts had them winning, they also cautioned that the Patriots had to take charge of the game from start to the finish. They did sorta, which allowed for both teams to enter the 2nd quarter scoreless but the Broncos discovered their "groove" and the Patriots allowed themselves to be defeated by crazy errors.

The Patriots did fight as best as they could. Fans needed them to fight since losing was not something that the Patriots did. At least, the Patriots of the 21st century. They were expected to win. There was always a miracle that took place.

Well, it did not happen.

Did the Patriots not want the win as badly as the Broncos? Probably not. These were not guys that went into and left the game feeling a sense of entitlement or acting as if they could cruise their way back to the Superbowl.

When I saw the Patriots leave the field at the end, I was reminded of what Michelle Kwan's father told her when she had a disastrous short program at the 1999 Worlds in Helsinki, which endangered her chance to win gold. He said that you can't win all the time and indicated that she needed to do her best. Michelle pulled herself together and skated a strong program. She did not win, since her challenger, who usually finished 3rd or off the podium, maintained and won the 1999 World Championship. However, Michelle Kwan would go on to win 4 more championships and tie Maribel Vinson Owen's record of 9 US National Championships.

The Patriots will survive this loss. They will "go big" next year.

Hopefully Michelle will "go big" too. If she is not going to "go big," then she should stay home.

I got nothin' agin' 2006

I imagine that soon I will get to writing insightful and informative posts.

I did learn that Michelle Kwan has pulled out of the US Nationals with a groin injury. It does not bode well since a groin injury spelled DOOM for two time Olympic Silver medalist Elvis Stojko. He was never the same after it and did not even make the top 5 in the 2002 Olympics.
Michelle will petition to get on the team which, should not be too bad since unlike 1994, (which was the last time a skater who was unable to compete petitioned to be placed on the US team) there are three spots instead of two. The womens' field in the US is good but many won't really be ready until 2010. Outside of Sasha Cohen and perhaps Jenny Kirk and Emily Hughes, Michelle should be able to be added to the team without denying a deserving skater an opportunity to compete, which ironically happened to her in 1994 when Nancy Kerrigan was allowed to got to Lillehammer and Michelle, who won silver at the US Nationals that year and who could have competed at the Olympics that year despite her youth, had to settle for being an alternate.

Well, we'll see how it all shakes down.

I Just heard...

I just heard that Lou Rawls died.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060107/NEWS07/601070346/1009

Blacks must nurture cultural centers

Blacks must nurture cultural centers-an article by Yolanda Black.

Enough said.

Words Five Years Later

These are some posts I made five years ago at CollegeClub.com. Wow...
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From the Not looking for anyone... Message Board
posted 11:30 AM September 05, 2000 (15 posts total)
Hi I am from Boston and please e-mail me when you want.


From the Star Trek Message Board
posted 11:59 AM September 01, 2000 (18 posts total)
Check out "In Living Color" They re-run the episodes. I think it on the Fox Family channel. In that same episode, Farrakhan (Damon Wayans) goes to Uhura (Kim Wayans) and says something like,
"My sister, rise up and free yourself from this oppression."

She gets up and is like,

" Im sitting here with this in my ear and I dont know why I have this in my ear!"
She then says to Kirk (the only thing I remember directly)
"I am NOT your chocolate fantasy!"



From the Star Trek Message Board
posted 1:27 PM August 31, 2000 (18 posts total)
This quote is not from any of the series but it came from in living Colors parody of STAR TREK TOS. The ship was captured by Minister Farrakhan and he convinced most of the other crewmembers to mutiny. Kirk (played by Jim Carrey) turned to faithful Spock and pleaded with him not to listen to Farrakhan. Spock (played by David Alan Grier)said to Kirk: "I am bigger than you, stronger than you, more intelligent than you and a better director yet I am still only second in command..." (Of course he joins Farrakhan.)


From the The Muppets Message Board
posted 1:21 PM August 31, 2000 (301 posts total)
For those who watched Sesame Street:
Is it me or does the Count look like a purple Jamie Farr (Klinger) from MASH?



From the Was Papa Smurf high? Message Board
posted 12:59 PM August 31, 2000 (64 posts total)
Okay...
Smurfs:

Regarding the KKK thing---never would have crossed my mind. Interesting thought.

There was a Grandma Smurf. She crept in the last season.

To put up with what he did, I think Papa was definitely smoking something.


Gummi Bears:

I didnt watch this a whole lot and only remember that Bill Scott who did the voice of Bullwinkle did one of the bears and he died and the voice of Grammy Bear was done by June Foray who did Rocky the Flying Squirrel.


Scooby Doo:

Okay heres the story regarding drugs and Scooby Doo as I was told. The artists and writers from Scooby Doo went to school in western Mass. The gang was based on students that went to certain schools there.
Velma was based on Mt. Holyoke College -- all girls supposed to be lesbians.
Scooby was based on UMass-Amherst ---because of the mascot.
Shaggy is Dartmouth --- Hippy dippy and drug lovin.
Daphne is Smith College --- money and hoity toity with a dash of lesbianism.
Freddie is Amherst College -- money again and a little homosexual.

The Scooby Snacks were a metaphor (ouch! An SAT word.)for pot. Thats why Scooby and Shaggy were always hungry and always craving those snacks. Interesting that Scrappy wasnt addicted but Scooby Dum was...
(DISCLAIMER)
Please keep in mind that the character sketches regarding what school was associated with what is hearsay. Im not dissin any school that someone might go to. Also too, Scooby began in the late 60s - early 70s, so those ideas may have been true for then.



From the Cartoon Beating Message Board
posted 12:18 PM August 31, 2000 (54 posts total)
I agree with some of what everyone else said, but to add my own:
From the 70s version of Batman and Robin ---BatMite.

Jem and her sister from Jem and the Holograms

Team Rocket and Professor Oak from Pokemon

Ayeka from Tenchi Muyo

All the characters that used to be on the Disney Afternoon except the cast from "Gargoyles."

The people in "GodZilla."

Barney -- cuz it would be lots of fun.
Pepper Ann too.

The list keeps growing but I only have so much space.



From the The Biker Mice from mars! Message Board
posted 11:56 AM August 31, 2000 (11 posts total)
It sure did kick ass! My character was Moto. He wasnt as charming as Vinnie nor the fearless leader like Throttle but he did okay. I liked the one when they and the people on the train they were rescuing sang about the Midnight Special...


From the Simpsons Quotes Message Board
posted 11:48 AM August 31, 2000 (295 posts total)
Another Ralph one:
It was the episode when the Simpsons did the take off on Twister and the people of Springfield rushed to the Qwiki Mart to get stuff. This old lady picks up Lisa by the head thinking that she was a melon or something and plops her into the basket next to Ralph. With a huge grin he says to Lisa:

"Were going to be baked into a pie!"


Another Lisa one:

Bart gave give "soul" to Milhouse and was freakin because he didnt have reflections and stuff. When the family was saying grace at dinner in Moes new family restaurant, Lisa says the grace and she goes...:Please bles Moms SOUL and Dads SOUL and MAGGIES SOUL and... Bart breaks out of there to track down Milhouse and his "soul".



From the what about strawberry shortcake Message Board
posted 11:37 AM August 31, 2000 (24 posts total)
I remember Strawberry Shortcake and her friends. The scenes I remember arefrom the "Big Apple City" special where she wanted to go on TV or something to do something to save Strawberryland (I remember it was a bake off something)and she meets Orange Blossom, the only Black one on there and she was a painter who paints scenes of places that she had been the day before. She takes Strawberry under her wing and takes her to Spinach Village (parodies were abound!) and they meet Lemon Merengue. When they went to visit her, she was in her apartment looking in the mirror going, "Mirror, Mirror, one the wall whos the fairest of them all? She goes to the other side of the mirror and we find out that there aint no mirror and she looks through the fram and says, "you are Lemon Merengue."
Its funny, a friend and I were talking about this and other cartoons and saying that there would be no way that these cartoons would be shown today, only because of the "pedophile" element of the villians. I mean, he was called the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak. Up there all by himself. Messing with Strawberry Shortcake and her friends like he didnt have anything better to do. That just goes to show that if you think about something long enough...you draw all sorts of conclusions...



From the CC Update: What's you biggest pet peeve? Message Board
posted 5:58 AM August 31, 2000 (402 posts total)
Guys who spit on the sidewalk.


From the She Said: Family Feud Message Board
posted 1:26 PM August 30, 2000 (113 posts total)
Wont do it and dont do it.


From the TV Racism? Message Board
posted 9:08 AM August 30, 2000 (329 posts total)
Hmmm...well, it seems that the conspiracy that is racism oppresses a lot of people. Thats why we must all do our part to shut it down...
Vive la difference!
As for me, I generally like my sistas to be darker than a paper bag because thats what I look like.
Doesnt mean that I dont like or accept those who are lighter than the paper bag. I just relate better on somethings to those who look like me.


From the TV Racism? Message Board
posted 12:12 PM August 29, 2000 (329 posts total)
Wow...I posted my answer waaay back in May and look at how much this has grown since! I agree with most of what has been said.

One of my pet peeves is the "Black woman lighter than the brown paper bag with features smaller than even Michael Jackson" syndrome that has gripped casting. Im not saying that this is not an expression of Black Beauty but it seems funny that shows like Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer show more of a variety of Black people (in looks anyway)than most "quality" shows.
I agree about BET. I have always said that instead of trying to play in someone elses sandbox, you need to build one of your own. I admit that I havent seen a lot of BET but what I have seen has been repeats of many shows that I had seen as a kid many times. We need to create more original programming that covers all aspects of Black life -- not just the 1860s, the 1960s or street crime. i am not saying that BET only shows those images but we always need more stories! Also too we cant expect BET to do it all alone. We, with Hispanics following second and possibly overtaking in the future, are the largest consumers in this country of goods. WE as a group spend more and build less in assets. We can support a second network that shows the shows that we want to show. There are two stations aimed at the Spanish speaking population -- Telemundo and Univision. Granted, they get a big feed from Spain but I feel that we can do this here. Also too, we need to use the local cable access stations. For a small fee, a person can learn how to produce their own shows and they are viewed in the community. Here where I live, some kids put together a drama that people actually watched. It went off the air this summer because the producers and talents graduated.

Lastly, about others not understanding the need to see themselves reflected in the programs they watch. Many of those people have not lived outside of the US or if they have, they have lived in European countries where they would at least see people that have look liked them. Try living in Japan or South Korea or Nepal. Yes, White Americanism is popular but it is not always the rule. Most people prefer their own standard of beauty.

About the Cosby Show, after the first season, it became like a lot of the other white sitcoms of that time. My chief irritation what at the lack of personality with the kids. And Vanessa in particular checked the brain had in the first season and did some ignorant stuff when she got to be older. Then too the show focused
more on Cliff and Claire (It was after all called the Cosby Show)than the kids. The best thing to come out of the Cosby Show was "A Different World." Originally this was a vehicle for Lisa Bonet, the airhead lighter than light skinned second daughter Denise, who most recently was in John Cusacks "High Fidelity where she did a decent job and was actually DARKER than I remembered seeing her (whether Cusack had her darken up for his movie or if she was lightened for the Cosby Show, who can say?) The show was on life support after its first season until Debbie Allen resuscitated it with more people and more stories that came out of the Black College experience. This show demonstrated that just because a show has a focus on Black Life and an all Black cast, doesnt mean thats not relevant and entertaining.



From the any bi females welcum Message Board
posted 1:24 PM August 28, 2000 (203 posts total)
Anyone in the Boston, MA area is welcome to e-mail me at ladydayelle@collegeclub.com. Are you out there?


From the BiSexual Female WANTED!! Message Board
posted 1:24 PM August 28, 2000 (35 posts total)
Unfortunately, Youre too far South (Alabama) and Im too far North (Massachusetts). Good luck to you!


From the what made you from straight to bi...? any reason or it happened somehow... Message Board
posted 1:17 PM August 28, 2000 (5 posts total)
I think that I was always bi. In my household, you were just straight--end of discussion. I sometimes felt dirty for wanting to be with females in a sexual way. When I became an adult, I became more and more comfortable with these feelings enough that I started to identify with being a lesbian. But, I still felt attracted to men! I didnt know that bisexuality existed as a term or an option. I was taught all or nothing.
Now, I am comforatble being bi. I dont feel like Im betraying any one side or that Im mentally ill. I cant really state a moment or the day I was okay with identifying as bi. I can say that for the past year, Ive felt more comfortable in my skin.

Thats all for now.




From the What do u think? Message Board
posted 12:56 PM August 28, 2000 (16 posts total)
Hi---
I think that you had too much to drink. But more importantly, I feel that if you are asking if that episode makes you bisexual or lesbian that only you can answer that. We can sometimes be attracted to our friends of the same sex for certain qualities but that doesnt mean that anything will come of it.
If your friend doesnt feel the same way as you do, then its best to leave it be and find another like minded person.



From the TV Racism? Message Board
posted 2:53 PM May 10, 2000 (329 posts total)
Some. For example, on shows with ensemble casts like ER and the Practice, Characters of color are background characters and most major story lines that deal with more than one of them concern only racial issues. The white characters are allowed to have the more interesting stories and opportunities to add depth to their characters. For example, on ER, many of the nursing staff are people of color but youd think that they would do a spotlight story on one of them having a moment of truth outside of Carol Hathaway, who yes, is Greek in real life and Russian - American on the show but others are so sorely neglected. Carol is not the only one on there with experience but rarely does someone like Haleh for example or Chuny get to shine.

Words one year later

This is the first anniversary of More Explore, the blog that I have culivated the most over the various blogs that I have.

My first entry was simply: words.

I currently have archived over 200 entries.

I plan to keep cultivating it as well as put together a print version.

Happy Birthday More Explore.