Category: Uncategorized

Here’s my story in today’s paper, which has absolutely nothing to do with Wilmer-Hutchins. I swear. It’s actually one of my favorite pieces in a while — telling the tale of a 35-year-old Chicano civil-rights school strike in a small south Texas town. You may actually enjoy reading this one.

Leave it to a profile of Bob Novak to produce one of the all-time great character descriptions:
“Beneath the asshole is a very decent guy, and beneath the very decent guy is an asshole.”
I’m sometimes convinced I’m the reverse: decent guy-asshole-decent guy.

Jeff Nelson moves to Toledo, puts a bunch of anti-Bush signs in his front yard.
Why is this noteworthy? Jeff Nelson was the drummer of uber-influential D.C. hardcore band Minor Threat and co-founder (with Ian MacKaye) of uber-influential indie label Dischord Records.
Why in the world did one of the world’s hardcore godfathers move from D.C. to Toledo? Not clear, although this alleged explanation — a supposed Jeep fetish coupled with the relatively cheap availability of dilapidated Victorian mansions — could be as true as anything.
(Found via joeyharrison.com, photo blog of the husband of a former Toledo coworker of mine.)

Everyone remembers Rollen Stewart, right? The guy who became famous by putting on a big rainbow afro wig and going to sporting events, holding up a sign saying “John 3:16” and mugging for the cameras? The one who, in 1992, proclaimed the apocalypse was six days away, took a woman a hostage at a Los Angeles hotel, and threatened to blow the place up after shooting at passing airplanes?
Anyway, Rollen’s friend George Winter left a comment on my last post about Rollen, letting me know that Rollen, though in prison, still has something to say.
Hence the Rainbow Man Blog, where George relays the messages Rollen sends him from behind bars. It also lays out Rollen’s claims to fame:
You already know Rainbow Man, “John 3:16 Shirt and Banner Man,” Rock’n Rollen Stewart if you watched any sports in the late 1970’s, all of the 1980’s and the early 1990’s…
And it didn’t just have to be sports – Rainbow Man was in Alaska when the Pope was there, he was the first to yell out “President Reagan” on the day that Reagan was elected, and he danced in front of Buckingham Palace just after Charles and Diana kissed after The Wedding of the Century.
Huh? First to yell out “President Reagan” on the day he was elected? What does that mean?
His most recent entry, in which he asks for money to support Rollen’s “cause”:
After spending the past six months in Solitary Confinement, Rollen is worried that the football season is half over, and anxious that no one has started a “John 3:16” banner campaign.
Yesterday I received a quickly-compiled letter from him. I knew that he had rushed because, in the past, he has used plenty of colored markers to write Bible citations and messages on the envelope. This one was all in pen and simply declared:
Rapture! Feast of Trumpets! Rosh Hashanah! 2005!

Happy World AIDS Day, everyone. I would act like a good socially conscious blogger, but it looks as though Link ‘n’ Think hasn’t been revived for 2004.
I will link, however, to my one contribution to global AIDS knowledge: zambiastories.com, the blog I kept while on fellowship in Zambia last year, reporting on AIDS. Links to my two DMN stories from Zambia are on that page, too.
If all goes according to plan — and it may or may not; my fingers and toes are crossed — I may get to do some more AIDS-related reporting in India soon. Think happy thoughts for me around the end of the month, when the selection process reaches its climax.

I wonder if Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are dating because they actually like each other or just because they wanted to set a new Hollywood record for most consecutive uses of the letter “a” in a couple’s last names.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing it’s not a good thing that I just got a haircut that makes me look like Alfred Kinsey.

How not to be a good, objective journalist: Call up the voice mail of a conservative organization and leave this message: “I wanted to tell you that you’re evil, horrible people. You’re awful people. You represent horrible ideas. God hates you and he wants to kill your children. You should all burn in hell. Bye.”
And if you’re going to leave such a message — again, such an act is officially discouraged — for heaven’s sake, don’t leave your work phone as the call-back number.
Unsurprisingly, Rachel Buchman “has decided to move forward with her career and her life.” Or at least her life — her resume will be kryptonite to any hiring editor.

Is there a less nutritious food in the world than Airheads candy? A strong gust of wind probably has more vitamins, and a handful of pebbles is probably better for you.
But, o the childhood memories a well-timed Airhead can summon.

Vaguely pretentious promo documentary on American Music Club, from circa 1993 (“Mercury” era).
It must have been confusing as hell to live in Alaska on October 7, 1867. (“Thus shortly after Saturday 7th had already started it became Friday 18th. Alaska had two consecutive Fridays, and the days 7th to 17th October were omitted.”)
Why did no one tell me there was a Muppet version of The Wizard of Oz in production? Starring Jeffrey Tambor as the Wizard and Quentin Tarantino as “Himself”? My mind is already blown in anticipation.