Draggin’

I attempted to swerve away from the raccoon sitting in the middle of Macon Road in the Cordova area of Memphis, just several hundred yards down the street from my high school alma mater. But the little guy — I’m assuming it was a male — maneuvered in my direction just as I attempted to avoid him.

I’ve dodged would-be road kill countless times before. On this occasion, however, I wasn’t so lucky. The same thing occurred about 10 years ago, except that it was a squirrel on Altruria Road (near U.S. 70) in Bartlett. In any case, seeing the defenseless animal in my rearview mirror go into convulsive shock from getting run over was pretty much the perfect end to an otherwise f’d up week.

Yes, I know that Sunday is, in fact, the first day of the week. Just go with it.

I’ve been almost continuously fatigued lately. Perhaps you can relate. I awake with a headache often (possibly job related). My back also hurts more and more (absolutely job related) while my overall impetus is hindered by a peculiar inability to focus and power my way through. And this blog has fallen off a bit over the past month or two as a direct consequence.

I need to get my shiznit together. Fo’ shizzle indeed. So, for those interested, I’m taking a brief sabbatical. And with that, two conclusions: 1) there is no Sunday’s Quote today, and 2) I’m retiring the Editorial Sketch of the Week feature, as it seems that I’m possibly breaking the law for not paying these professionals for their work, though I have never failed to credit the author.

I intend to return in the near future stronger than ever. See y’all soon.

Profound

This week has been rough. Hence the lack of posts. So here are some words to live by, courtesy of Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer.

© Nick Turchiaro/Icon SMI

Grappling 101

I recently re-entered the martial arts arena after a 15-year absence. As expected, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is no joke. I’ve been grabbed, twisted, thrown and choked in almost every way imaginable. It’s a new way of fighting for a striker’s background like mine and progress has been slow. In fact it will be a full year before reaching my first color belt (blue). But I enjoy the style, and I look forward to learning something new every time I hit the mat. As a result, the following pics definitely say a lot.

A word from Churchill

I began reading “Citizens of London” by Lynne Olson recently. Thus far the story about the Americans — centering primarily on Edward R. Murrow, Averell Harriman and John Gilbert Winant — who stood with Churchill’s Britain during “it’s darkest, finest hour” has proven a good read. Hence I found the pic below both notable, and personally applicable, as well.

Caught my attention for all the wrong reasons

A Grivet Monkey nestles against a radiator to keep warm at a zoo in Qingdao, China. Breaks my heart. . .

Here is a shocking story about how animals in China are treated. Believe me, it will make you want to punch someone in the face. Preferably a communist.

© Hong Wu/Getty Images

They’re back. No doubt about it.

I became a fan of the San Francisco 49ers before I committed my allegiance to any other team, college or pro. Family born and/or raised in the Bay area (South Bay, to be exact) might’ve fueled my passion from before adolescence – the Age of Montana didn’t hurt, either – but I’ve remained loyal through all the highs and lows, and will remain so for life.

The Niners earned a spot in their conference title game on Sunday for the first time in 14 years. One more win puts the Scarlet & Gold in Super Bowl XLVI for a chance to win the franchise's sixth championship. So today I commemorate their victory over the ’09 champs that applaud both their recent and impending triumph.

Indeed, the smart money says the 49ers will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on February 5. Don’t even doubt it.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

49ers quarterback Alex Smith celebrates after running for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of their NFC Divisional playoff game against New Orleans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The 49ers won in heart-stopping fashion, 36-32.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Devery Henderson of the New Orleans Saints congratulates Alex Smith after the game went final. It seems the oft-maligned former #1 overall draft pick has finally arrived.

c/o Associated Press

Defensive Tackle Justin Smith, a Godsend from Cincinnati three years ago, celebrates after sacking New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. His leadership on defense will be crucial if the 49ers hope to go all the way.

c/o Associated Press

Safety and special teams contributor Colin Jones celebrates after recovering a fumble by Saints running back Darren Sproles on a punt return as Roman Harper (#41) looks on dejectedly.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Frank Gore (#21), the 49ers second all-time leading rusher, carries the ball as teammate Bruce Miller defends. Gore, by the way, scored a 6 on the Wonderlic test prior to being drafted, which proves that you don’t have to be particularly smart to make a positive impact in the world.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

49er fans en force. They’ve waited a long time for this. Only a win over the dastardly Cowboys would have made it sweeter.

Just Thinking Out Loud: Coherent misanthrope

While taking inventory of my interpersonal experiences over the past decade or so, I have concluded that far too many have been a lot like this. . .

Sunday's Quote: Abuse

Exploitation comes in many forms. While the repeated acts of pedophilia (reportedly) committed by a former longtime assistant to a college football coaching legend has reminded us yet again about the various and unconscionable methods of predatory behavior, it is perhaps easier to overlook the more subtle means of ill-treatment that we often commit amongst ourselves, which is furthermore confounding when those who might be in a position to help simply refuse to see the antagonist for what he or she really is.

A comedic legend who recently bore his soul in a way that virtually no-one ever suspected added his perspective to this snowballing phenomenon of pervasive maltreatment that, in one way or another, affects us all:

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"I mean, can you imagine the desperation of a child who chooses to believe that he did this to himself, just so he doesn't have to consider the idea that his mother did it, or his parents did it? Because you know, Terry, I'll tell you something. I hope this - I don't know anything about you, but I think it's completely barbaric to shake hands with and seek help from the person who caused your injury. That will make you sick."

– Saturday Night Live alum Darrell Hammond, during the November 7, 2011 broadcast of NPR’s Fresh Air. His new book, "God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked: Tales of Stand-Up, 'Saturday Night Live' and Other Mind-Altering Mayhem," details the methodical brutality he suffered from his mother, who beat, stabbed, and tortured him for years. Consequently the 57-year-old Hammond has been in psychiatric treatment continually since age 19.

Editorial Sketch of the Week: A (belated) Veterans Day salute

© Rick McKee, The Augusta Chronicle

Go Cards!

Although April 20, 2009 is the official birthday of this blog, sporadic posts from the early days were followed by a period in which my little corner of the Internet-connected world remained dormant for nearly six months. It wasn't until a story about former Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant and the circumstances girdling his dispute with the NCAA all but forced me to write a little piece on November 1 of the same year from which approximately 500 more (and counting) have since followed.

Hence with today marking what I consider the second anniversary of my virtual soapbox, which has received hits from all 50 States and 73 countries (since July 2010), I find a bit of contrariety in composing another sports-themed post in observance of my two years working on this largely politics- and socially-themed blog. Thankfully, at least, it centers on a team that’s been near and dear for most of my life:

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They were 10.5 games out of the final spot in the playoffs with 32 games remaining in the brutally long season. A collapse by the frontrunner Braves seemed more than unlikely. But Tony La Russa, the Cardinals manager of 16 seasons, wouldn't let his team quit. And so the Redbirds charged.

The generally unenthusiastic appraisal about the Cardinals depth, and their bullpen more specifically, was bandied about through most of the year even after the 'birds improbable run to the playoffs became reality upon earning the last playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. And despite the doubters, they found a way to defeat the heavily favored Phillies and the division champion Brewers. Their reward: a young, feisty and powerful Texas Rangers team making its second straight appearance in the World Series.

The Cardinals were done in Game 6. They weren't just down to their last out. They were down to their last strike. Twice. But the Cards battled back, yet again, in a way that literally no other team ever has. And now, after an extraordinary seven-game series, the St. Louis Cardinals are champions of baseball for the eleventh time.

Although the Rangers are the first team to lose the World Series after initially being one out away from winning it since the '86 Red Sox, they're also the first team to make back-to-back appearances in the Fall Classic since the Yankees played in four straight (winning three) from '98-'01. The smart money says we'll be seeing the boys from Texas again in the very near future.

Such determination has become rare in the sports world, especially on the professional level. The Cardinals weren't just fun to watch. They were also inspiring. La Russa retired practically hours ago and the legendary Albert Pujols could be moving on as well, but the 2011 Cardinals will always be remembered for all the right reasons.

Just Thinking Out Loud: Mr. Jobs

c/o Apple

The world lost one of the grandest of all innovative visionaries on October 5. Designated at the time of his death as either the primary or co-inventor on a remarkable 342 patents, Steve Jobs is ultimately responsible for establishing the tech company that changed the game for the benefit of an ever-growing contingency that covets something different from the tedious norm.

So profound was his impact that Apple nearly went under when Jobs lost a power struggle with the board of directors. His return, some 10 years later in 1996, soon re-established both Jobs and the enterprise he founded as the industry benchmark by which all others are now judged.

Steve Jobs is mourned for all the right reasons. The same will never be said of his titanic counterparts. Indeed he is the perhaps the last CEO who will ever be missed. Farewell Mr. Jobs. You founded the only cult that's worth joining, and I look forward to becoming one of your devotees – when I can finally afford it.

Real Music: Country boy

Ol' Bocephus got himself in a bit of trouble recently for breaking Godwin's law. Hank, Jr. outta know better than to use a reference that's reserved exclusively for the Left in order to pander, demonize and politicize.

 

Oh well. Here's the man himself to throw a well-intentioned middle finger in the face of anyone who doesn't like what he's all about:

 

Just Thinking Out Loud: The politics of game

I don't have "game." Never have. Although a lack of sophistication was a byproduct of my considerable naiveté when I was younger, I realized as I lived and learned that participating in a kind of social discourse for which the only rule is that you can never get caught in a lie was never in my best interest.

In the name of full disclosure, and at the risk of seeming a bit self-righteous, I'm still not entirely certain about what I have been afforded by even attempting to demonstrate such piety. Yet, as it turns out, I happened to avoid emulating the numerous lowlifes for whom my respect has been permanently replaced by contempt. And I suppose that alone is enough.

Did You Know (or Care): Al can make you tap

c/o Michael Pomerleau

Sometimes people think they know an actor by a role that he/she plays on television or in a movie.  Here's an example of how wrong than perception can be.

Ed O'Neill, perhaps best known for playing the perpetually demoralized "Al Bundy" on Married... with Children for 11 seasons, is, in real life, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under the direct tutelage of original UFC founder Rorion Gracie. (Here's a brief clip showing his promotion from brown to black belt in 2007.)

BJJ is different from most other martial arts, as it often requires no less than eight years of hardcore training before one is considered proficient enough to meet the requirements necessary for advancement.  In fact, O'Neill himself needed more than a decade to rise from the white, blue, purple and brown belt ranks before he achieved the coveted black belt status.  And that's pretty much par for the course.

Just remember y'all – it isn't usually wise to judge a book by its cover.  That sad looking couch potato is possibly capable of making you squirm. 

Just Thinking Out Loud: A true master

c/o Judo Club of Conegliano, Italy; August 7, 2009

My return to the world of martial arts has been further stimulated by the woman pictured in the center above, as Sensei Keiko Fukuda recently became just the 16th person in history to earn Judo's highest possible rank.  At 98-years-young, she is also the first woman.

For more about this exceptional ichidai (diligent practitioner of the art), and if you want to know what it is to be composed of a certain fudoshin (immovable spirit), have a look at this story from '03 that is sure to inspire.

Keep battling y'all

It's been one of those weeks

I strive to produce something that's worth at least a few moments of your time with every post.  Yet there are unexpected periods when I'm just...

Sunday's Quote: Her sweet, brave smile

A year ago, almost to the day, I posted a Sunday's Quote about Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old who immigrated with her family to Massachusetts in the autumn of 2009.  Hit with a relentless barrage of bullying almost as soon as she arrived, the young Irish lass felt she could tolerate the abuse no longer and committed suicide in January 2010 just a few months after she reached American soil.

Nine students from South Hadley High School were charged with numerous felonies.  Six of them recently struck deals by which they were allowed to plead guilty to lesser imputations.  Although the majority ended up with what amounts to a slap on the wrist, the national attention this story received will hopefully serve as a reminder about the reasonless nature in which we sometimes treat others.

One might argue that justice has not been served.  Understandably some may feel that these smug little heathens all but got away with murder.  It would be difficult to disagree considering that most of Phoebe's aggressors will serve no time inside a prison cell.  Yet whatever the consolation, the memory of Phoebe Prince -- an innocent teenage girl from Ireland who hoped to somehow fit into her new and unfamiliar surroundings -- will remind us that terrible and irreversible things can happen when people refuse to intervene.

"Nothing is to be preferred before justice."
– Socrates (470 BC-399 BC, Greek philosopher)

"God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice."
– John Donne (1572-1631, English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest)

"Justice is the truth in action."
– Joseph Joubert (1754-1824, French essayist)

Sunday’s Quote: Persecution of the Faithful

Adherents to Christendom are the most tyrannized and discriminated against in the world.  Skeptics may find that difficult to believe, but they are conspicuously hushed when presented with mere a portion what my Christian brothers and sisters throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa have been up against for over a millennia.

© Reuters

Earlier this morning, the Associated Press reported that police in Beijing, China detained worshippers from an "unapproved Christian church" who were forced to hold service in a public space after they were expelled from their usual place of worship.  The piece added, "China's Communist government allows worship only in state-approved churches, but many Christians belong to unregistered congregations.  Such 'house churches' are subjected to varying degrees of harassment by authorities."

Those who profess salvation in Christ have been viewed under the harshest microscope from the very beginning, so maltreatment is understood to come with the territory, even in parts of the world where Christians make up the majority.  That being said...

"Scripture makes it clear to me that there is an obligation to speak out on behalf of the persecuted."

-- Sixteen-term Representative Frank R. Wolf (R-Virginia, 10th congressional district)

"Persecution is a tribute the great must always pay for preeminence."

-- Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774), Irish poet, novelist and playwright

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."

-- II Corinthians 4:8-11

Real Music: Ozzy

It seems a new mantra has penetrated mainstream music: If it sucks, it's cool.  With the push to promote audible garbage fronted by talentless hacks evidently growing stronger by the year, these are dark times for those who enjoy tunes possessed of emotion and substance.

Despite being practically abandoned by the big name record labels with whom Rock bands once enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, many among the Old Guard are still alive and doing quite well.  To demonstrate my point (as perhaps only he can), here is Ozzy Osbourne's newest song, a surprisingly strong effort -- one I didn't think Ozzy could produce without longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde -- which presents a moving challenge to seize the moment.

You probably haven't heard it, so kick back and enjoy Ozzy at his best because "Life Won't Wait" would be all over the place during any other time in the modern era.  And by all means, don't be put off by the still-shot below.