Life
Ring of Fire – and Walk the Line Videos
Johnny Cash sings “Ring of Fire” 1963 [wp_youtube]gRlj5vjp3Ko[/wp_youtube] Here is Joaquin Pheonix with his impersonation of Johnny Cash “Ring of Fire, along with a moving moment from the movie ‘Walk the Line.’ [wp_youtube]fMdoyh4NjSE[/wp_youtube] And here are more of the songs from ‘Walk the Line’ [wp_youtube]b9qTCP-tZms[/wp_youtube] And here is Johnny Cash singing ‘I Walk The Line’ […]
11Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Obama, More Perfect Union speech
[wp_youtube]pWe7wTVbLUU[/wp_youtube]
11Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama, More Perfect Union speech | Continued
Robin Williams on American Idol, 4/2008
One has to listen closely and quickly to catch all of the humor offered by Robin Williams. Every time I seen this great talent I try to imagine anyone else in the role and I find there is no one to compare with Robin Williams.. Enjoy.
11Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Conundrum of Humanity and Religion
One great irony of the human experience is the conflict between religion and science. The ‘human experience’ is essentially the act of awareness. The act of awareness allows us to explore our universe, to ask why and how, to speak in metaphor and allegory. But the human experience is also primal, seeking first to survive. […]
10Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Conundrum of Humanity and Religion | Continued
New Al Gore video on climate change
Al Gore says this better than I.
8Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Iraq in Context – April 8, 2008
I am listening at this moment to the Senate hearings featuring testimony by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. These are impressive men who are in a tough spot. They believe in their mission. They testify that their work is not only effective but also necessary to improving American security. But this: Even if what they […]
8Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Narrative lives of McCain, Obama, McBride
Each of us is a product of our environment. We do not know the secrets of epigenetic study – that mystery of our DNA that is shaped by influence of nurture. So we are left to speak in terms of biography. Biography is termed ‘narrative history.’ Narrative, by it’s nature is anecdotal. Written about famous […]
4Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Narrative lives of McCain, Obama, McBride | Continued
Diplomatic Gutter Balls
There were two major news developments in the past few days. The President of the United States was in Europe on a diplomatic mission and a Senator from Illinois was bowling in Pennsylvania. Can you guess which received the most media attention? BUCHAREST, Romania — President Bush suffered a painful diplomatic setback Wednesday when NATO […]
3Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Obama Mystique
MSNBC’s David Gregory is doing well on his new program. What is inside the Obama mystique, he asks: His panel answers:
3Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Obama Mystique | Continued
Al Gore in Obama Administration
What role might Al Gore play in the upcoming Barack Obama Presidential Administration. Here is a good discussion on MSNBC:
3Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Al Gore in Obama Administration | Continued
Obama on Hardball, 4-2-2008
Barack Obama is the guest on Hardball’s College tour. I’ll give some summary comments. Matthews: “How do we know you are tough enough?” Omaba: “…I am leading in a contest with a very powerful political Clinton machine – I think I have proved I am tough…” Matthews, “Can you ignore public opinion to do the […]
3Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
hunting for the ethical purchase
As consumers, we vote with our pocketbook. There is plenty of complaining about the impact of Wal-Mart, but they are winning the campaign of the free market because they they are, in fact, cheap. Everyone loves a bargain, and these days the way to get one is to invest your time and money into supporting […]
2Apr2008 | bryan | Comments Off on hunting for the ethical purchase | Continued
“Take a Listen to this”
The mainstream media is driving me nuts. People who work in journalism, even bloggers, have some duty to try to use proper grammar. I make mistakes – because I am not an authority on proper English. Was I supposed to capitalize English? The point is that I try to ask myself questions of propriety. I […]
2Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Olberman on WalMart, O’Reilly, and Dobson
Keith Olberman is at his best on his own show. He falters when paired with a co-host on political programs – but his sense of humor, his intellect, and his willingness to confront immorality shines when he is on his own. Here is Olberman taking it to WalMart.
2Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Olberman on WalMart, O’Reilly, and Dobson | Continued
Urban Gardening
My neighborhood is called ‘midtown.’ There is the north side, south side, east side – and midtown. Midtown is composed of homes a little over 100 years old. The lots are generally about 75 feet wide and about 150 feet deep. We have alleys. None of the homes are ‘ranch style.’ And the garages were […]
2Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Thirty Years – Grief does not end
Son, I have five brothers, four living. My younger brother David was killed in a motorcycle accident thirty years ago this week. Thirty years. And I still think of him. David was probably the most witty and clever of the bunch. Even as a young child he had the most developed sense of humor. Most […]
1Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Obama with Ann Curry, 4-2008
Two people that I admire and respect, Ann Curry and Barack Obama. Both of these folks have disarming personalities – but Obama is careful. Curry asks if he is just being courteous or polite or something, Obama quickly qualifies his position. The cat and mouse game is subtle and these are two masters.
1Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Anecdote – Stoking Flames of Conversation
The Fireside often presents reason in the form of anecdote. We are not alone. Anecdotes are the parables of modern discourse. They are not scientific, not products of statistical analysis. Anecdotes offer insight by personalizing issues. Anecdotes are used to wrench the gut, to appeal to the human emotion, to define issues in terms of […]
1Apr2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Anecdote – Stoking Flames of Conversation | Continued
Obama’s Big Oil Ad
I only took two courses in Economics in college – so I am no authority. But my 9 year old grandson understands the value of a nickel, some economic concepts are just plain old common sense. Barack Obama has a new television advertisement challenging the profits of Big Oil. My notion is that the advertisement […]
29Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama’s Big Oil Ad | Continued
Does God need Government Welfare?
I may not write well, but I know how to read. And I like to read the Washington Post section On Faith. The advent of evangelicals calling for a return to the moral values of the founding fathers is to be commended. I completely agree. Steve Waldman is “co-founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of Beliefnet.com, and […]
28Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Does God need Government Welfare? | Continued
This Time – The Tide is Turning
This time, this election, we must bridge the chasm of race, gender, politics – liberal and conservative, religion – fundamental, evangelical, literal, figurative, Christian or Islam. Real leadership is nuanced. It is not black and white. It is not rooted in the winning and losing mentality of pure capitalism. I believe it was Henry Ford […]
27Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Why Hillary Will Never Be President…
The level of ugly in the Democratic primary is reaching unbearable heights. In a time of excitement and hope for what this election cycle means, there is a collective sigh coming from the population over the way that the primaries are playing out. This weekend Bill Richardson drove another nail into the Clinton political coffin. […]
24Mar2008 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Woody Allen parodies Hillary
Woody Allen may be the best writer of parody – probably better than Jon Stewart or Steven Colbert. In this clip he is struggling with understanding lost love. The desperation of compromise, of willingness to assume any posture, struck me as quite similar to the methods of the Hillary Clinton campaign. Senator Clinton cannot believe […]
21Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Rev. Wright’s Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Here we go again. An angry man, whether justified or not, pokes a stick in the eye of the object of his anger. Then he wonders why the object of his anger does not like him. Barack Obama says, let us have a healthy dialogue. Well, get the stick out of my eye and maybe […]
20Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Rev. Wright’s Self-Fulfilling Prophecy | Continued
Political Bracketology by Pundits
We are coming out of the political semi-finals. The Old Man beat the Evangelical. Now the Old man is poised to face off with the winner of the Black Man versus White Woman contest. Are these useful characterizations? Personally, I don’t think so. But if we listen to the 24/7 cable news channels we […]
20Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Political Bracketology by Pundits | Continued
A Personal Experience with Prejudice
The winter of 1963-64 was a rough one. I was in the eighth grade. John F. Kennedy had just been assassinated. My school was becoming integrated (the authorities sent one African American boy to our school and called it good enough). It was code (sic) outside. And my teachers did not like me. (At least, […]
20Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Hillary’s Dignity Tank Is On Empty
John McCain is a sharp politician. Many people have criticized his decisions, his shifting allegances, and his fence-sitting positions in this primary. But he is winning. He has a lot of exerience winning and he has enough foresight to know that he has to make some smooth moves and some hard decisions to unite the […]
20Mar2008 | bryan | Comments Off on Hillary’s Dignity Tank Is On Empty | Continued
Obama’s Speech on Race, Video and Text
Thanks to the Huffington Post for distributing this profound message. [wp_youtube]pWe7wTVbLUU[/wp_youtube] “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.” Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers […]
20Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama’s Speech on Race, Video and Text | Continued
Big Oil holds Delta hostage
The oil industry is holding all of us hostage. Delta Air Lines is a recent example. The Associated Press reports Delta is offering ‘…voluntary severance payouts to roughly 30,000 employees…’ Delta hopes to cut 2,000 jobs. Why? Let’s define a scenario that makes our math easier to understand. For the sake of argument, let’s say […]
19Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Reporting on Reverend Wright – and Getting it Wrong
It is difficult to grapple with the complexities of faith and politics, and it is disheartening when the two meet like runaway trains in the night while the media circles above like a vulture. Our society is increasingly weary of the cult style theology of the conservative Christian political movement, and rightfully so. I find […]
18Mar2008 | bryan | 5 comments | Continued
Horton Hears A…What?
Dad, As with many issues today, there is conflict over the meaning of a story. Pro-Life activists are using the words of the late Theodore Geisel, Dr. Seuss, to promote their social and political agenda. It is entirely likely that the author was furthuring his own social and political views when he wrote the book, […]
17Mar2008 | bryan | Comments Off on Horton Hears A…What? | Continued
Defending Islam, defining faith
Sally Quinn serves the world community by offering intelligent insight with The Washington Post’s ‘On Faith.’ In this video she interviews Salman Ahmad. There is a great observation about the difference in defending a faith and defining a faith. There are many Christians who could learn from the Islamic experience.
16Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Defending Islam, defining faith | Continued
5 things to do with your stimulus check
Dad, We are in the midst of an economic stimulus program that promises to deliver some pretty big checks to American consumers. This program, however, is not going to be a fix, it is going to be a band-aid. The problems that we aer having are not founded in a lack of spending by our […]
13Mar2008 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Politicians dancing with Olberman
Live video entertainment is infecting the ranks of politicians. What are they to do? President Bush seems to enjoy a little frivolity – that may be an understatement. Barack Obama risks the rhythm of race. Hillary is careful singing – and she should be. The ability to speak eloquently is a given in today’s media […]
13Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Politicians dancing with Olberman | Continued
Bible Questions
Son, I found an old news paper advertisement for a non-denominational church. The paper is yellowed with age and I suspect it is many years old. The advertisement listed 14 ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. The purpose of the advertisement was to generate interest in the particular church. Their method was to show their theological teachings […]
13Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Olberman’s Elloquence – on Clinton and Ferraro
Keith Olberman is a two sport journalist. He works the circuit at ESPN has increasing popularity o MSNBC. Olberman has directed his intellect and wit at the atrocious behavior of the Hillary Clinton campaign. This journalism is refreshing. Olberman demonstrates the ability to report, analyze, and clarify important issues. This video clip show Olberman at […]
13Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Olberman’s Elloquence – on Clinton and Ferraro | Continued
The Bottom Billion – a Hungry World
Son, Shocked, but not surprised. That is often the reaction of intelligent people when bad things happen. A very bad thing is happening on our planet. Poverty and hunger have become so devastating that the statisticians now refer to a segment of the human population as ‘the bottom billion.’ We are talking about people who […]
12Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Bottom Billion – a Hungry World | Continued
Salem Witch Hunt – Ultimate Water Boarding
Son, The use of water boarding by the United States Government to ferret out ‘terrorists’ reminds me of the witch hunts of 1692 in Massachusetts. One of those dark moments in American history. It is a catch 22 for the person being tortured. Tell us what we want to hear or risk drowning – does […]
10Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 5 comments | Continued
The Florida Michigan Vote Solution
Son, I am almost amused at the political posturing by party political party leaders in Florida and Michigan. Charlie Christ, the Governor of Florida, is particularly outspoken. These folks don’t do anything that does not have some political advantage. This 2008 election process has not gone according to anyone’s plan and everyone is posturing after-the-fact. […]
7Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The mythical nature of a child’s diet
I spent the weekend with fifth and sith grade students on a confirmation retreat. I enjoyed our time together, and we had many good conversations about life and faith. One of the conversations, however, was unexpected and revealed a great deal about the way that our children are learning about nutrition. We were at the […]
6Mar2008 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued
Declaration of Independence – 2008
Declaration of Independence 2008 (All comments in italics are direct quotes from the United States Declaration of Independence penned in 1776) “When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the […]
4Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 5 comments | Continued
Internet costs and Power Companies.
Son, I am confused again. The world changes faster than I can keep up. This article is being written to an internet site that offers distribution to the world wide web. We don’t charge anything for people to come here and browse around. But someone does. I am trying to understand the complexity of costs […]
4Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Websites that give to others
Son, The internet is being skillfully used by several organizations to promote giving to others. Check these out. http://www.freerice.com – I enjoyed this site. I went there investigating and found myself participating. Rice is donated through the United Nations World Food Program for every click on their site. thehungersite.com – equally important but a little […]
2Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
SNL opens with Hillary Clinton
Saturday Night Live is back after the writer’s strike. What might have been trough this primary season we can only imagine – but the show is in full swing and Hillary Clinton opened the show last night…. Enjoy..
2Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on SNL opens with Hillary Clinton | Continued
Raymond Crowe does Louis Armstrong
Raymond Crowe is a shadow puppeteer from Australia. The idea seems trite – but trite in the hands of a master changes perspective. This shadowy rendition of Louis Armstrong is perfectly executed. Performed on David Letterman, Crowe demonstrates artistic integrity with light and shadow. Enjoy the video.
2Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Raymond Crowe does Louis Armstrong | Continued
American Gangster – Afghanistan
Son, The movie “American Gangster’ is based on a true story. The story of heroin being imported into this country from Southeast Asia. The mode of transportation was primarily aboard United States Military aircraft. This was not sanctioned in any way by the U. S. Government – but by individuals in the military serving in […]
1Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on American Gangster – Afghanistan | Continued
Rick Warren with Sally Quinn
Son, Sally Quinn, with the Washington Post, does the world a great service by promoting sane spirituality. We should be grateful:
1Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Rick Warren with Sally Quinn | Continued
Deepak Chopra, holy and healing
Son, “There is only God and nothing else,” Deepak Chopra. This wonderful man has true inspiration, in intellect, spirituality, and emotion…. The Washington Post, probably my favorite internet site, offers regular videos on spirituality – here is an interview with Deepak Chopra:
1Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Deepak Chopra, holy and healing | Continued
Politics and Laws of Association
The laws of association are very simple: If ‘a’ = ‘b’ and ‘b’ = ‘c’, then ‘a’ = ‘c’. Translated into politics: If John Hagee is a radical hate monger, and Osama Bin Laden is a radical hate monger, then John Hagee and Osama Bin Laden are the same creature. If John McCain is ‘very […]
1Mar2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Politics and Laws of Association | Continued
Obama Dances with Ellen
Son, We are living in a new age of politics. The vast electronic media brings candidates into our living rooms throughout the day. Check out Obama dancing with Ellen Degeneres: [wp_youtube]RsWpvkLCvu4[/wp_youtube] Dad
29Feb2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama Dances with Ellen | Continued