The Michael Jackson of the Indian subcontinent performs Bollywood's version of "Thriller"...
Monday, October 23, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
"The Girl in the Fireplace": Tonight's DOCTOR WHO is some of the best recent TV ever
American fans of Doctor Who - the ones who haven't been downloading via torrent the newer episodes after they've run in Britain - are in for quite a treat tonight when Season 2 (or 28, like I've said before depending on whether you're reckoning this per the original series) continues on the Sci-Fi Channel. Tonight is when "The Girl in the Fireplace" broadcasts, and this is quite simply one of the most beautiful episodes of television that I can remember out of anything from the medium in the past few years. I don't want to give too much away about this one: it really is best left to be appreciated with as little spoilerage as possible. It's NOT the typical Doctor Who episode by any means though, and you can sort of pick up on that from the episode's very first scene. All I'll say is that this is the best performance as the Doctor that David Tennant has given during his tenure in the role so far, and that Mickey (Noel Clarke) is sporting the coolest-looking shirt that has ever been seen on Doctor Who during the entire history of the show. Just an absolute delight of a show this evening: I'd give it six out of five stars. Even if you're not usually a fan of Doctor Who I think it's safe to say this is one that you'll certainly enjoy.
Records smashed again: The Knight Shift's biggest day yet
Just before the midnight reset this blog's counter registered 61,718 visits in the 24-hour period that was Thursday October 19th. That's way more than the total number of visits in the past almost-three years since the blog first went up until Wednesday evening when this site got noticed by a few big outlets like Digg, Neatorama and the Coast to Coast with George Noory site. By the end of the day there had been 127,440 visits since inception... well on the way toward 200,000 though I doubt it'll be awhile - if ever - before I have something else happen like the past few days. Still, the extra exposure has been a lot of fun and I'm glad for the "new business".
Thursday, October 19, 2006
One Hundred Thousand
In the last little while (while I wasn't looking) this blog - a lot faster than I'd ever expected - hit the 100,000 visits mark. Right now it's showing 101,706 total hits and 35,984 since the daily counter reset at midnight this morning. And a little over 24 hours ago this place had registered about 54,000 total visits since I installed the counter almost three years ago.
So this blog is now in the coveted Six-Figures Club. Yay!!! Let's celebrate! Go out and buy a candy bar and pretend I got it for you :-)
Trailer for TORCHWOOD
This coming Sunday night the new sci-fi show Torchwood will debut on BBC Three over in Great Britain. This is the spin-off from Doctor Who that's been alluded to on that show since the end of Eccleston's season. Torchwood is going to feature that wacky Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) who accompanied the Ninth Doctor on a few adventures, this time stranded in modern-day England working with the ultra-secret Torchwood Institute. I've been wondering for awhile about what this is going to be like, but just going by the trailer it looks rather promising. Anyway, here's a peek at Torchwood...
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Highest-traffic day in The Knight Shift history! This blog makes the front page of Coast to Coast and Digg!
I am... seriously wog-boggled by this day.
At 3:30 PM today I reported that 1,724 people had visited this blog since midnight: way over the usual number of about a hundred visits to the site daily.
Well, it's now a little before midnight and the needle not only got pegged, it tore completely off the dashboard.
With about a half-hour before midnight to go, this site has registered 8,773 visits today, and at the rate its going now the blog is picking up another about another 100 visitors every minute. I'll try to post the final tally before the daily counter resets at midnight.
Why is this blog being so blessed with visitors in the past little while? Well, my lil' post last year about ghost photographs has inexplicably gotten picked up by quite a few outlets today. Including... wait for it... the front page of the Coast to Coast with George Noory website!
And Digg found it too, where the article has gotten (at last count) 443 "diggs".
I dunno what to say guys, honestly. This is the most single-day traffic that my humble lil' blog has ever received. I'm feeling profoundly shocked and immensely humbled that this site has gotten so many people's attention (and for something not even really controversial, LOL). Thanks to everyone who's linked to this page today. And to all the newcomers: please stick around! I'm just a guy who's interested in quite a few things and I try to share those in a unique and engaging way. And I'm always trying to post good and fresh material (some of it I've made on my own) for you to enjoy. Thanks for being here!
Okay well that said, it's a little before midnight as I prepare to hit the "Publish" button. Let's see how far this goes before the daily counter reset...
EDIT 11:45 PM EST: While I was writing all of that the meter hit 9,725 visits today.
EDIT 11:48 PM EST: 10,003 visits today.
EDIT 11:55 PM EST: 10,585 visits now.
EDIT 11:57 PM EST: 10,716 visits.
EDIT 12:01 AM EST 10/19/2006: Well, the last count I was able to get before the meter reset itself at midnight was 10,939 for October 18, 2006. And in the minute or so since I started typing this the new day has racked up 133 new visits. I'm going to stop right there for the night but I'll check back in the morning and throughout the day during work at the station. Again, I'm floored by this. Earlier today my meter was sitting at about 54,000 and I was wondering how long would it take for it to reach the next 10,000 milestone. Heh-heh... only took a few hours... and it ain't stopping yet!! Thanks to everyone who made this a record day and me a happy blogger :-)
The second campaign commercial
Watch that meter fly!
My website meter says that I'm currently getting an average of 78 readers per day. That fluctuates often depending on what I've posted here. Well, as of this moment today I've received 1,724 visits! With 215 in the past hour. At first I thought it was a fluke but apparently not: The good folks at Neatorama alerted readers to my feature a year ago about the top ten best ghost photos ever and people are flocking to see it from their link. So here's a hearty hello to everyone finding their way to this blog from Neatorama!
Just finished the second commercial
Filming took place during about 2 hours this afternoon and I've been working on it ever since getting back. Figure seven hours of work with this one, compared to 45 hours on that other... thing. It'll get posted here sometime tomorrow provided some associates sign off on it with their approval (what you think I don't have a campaign staff or somethin'...?) Didn't intend for the second commercial to be the way it turned out but the nature of the first one sort of begged for it. But, I like it.
More tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
"You are here"
This is the Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 16, 2006 as posted by NASA (click to enlarge)...
Here's the explanation from the page...
Here's the explanation from the page...
Explanation: In the shadow of Saturn, unexpected wonders appear. The robotic Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn recently drifted in giant planet's shadow for about 12 hours and looked back toward the eclipsed Sun. Cassini saw a view unlike any other. First, the night side of Saturn is seen to be partly lit by light reflected from its own majestic ring system. Next, the rings themselves appear dark when silhouetted against Saturn, but quite bright when viewed away from Saturn and slightly scattering sunlight, in the above exaggerated color image. Saturn's rings light up so much that new rings were discovered, although they are hard to see in the above image. Visible in spectacular detail, however, is Saturn's E ring, the ring created by the newly discovered ice-fountains of the moon Enceladus, and the outermost ring visible above. Far in the distance, visible on the image left just above the bright main rings, is the almost ignorable pale blue dot of Earth.So you see that "star" that's on the left above the really bright rings? That tiny little dot? That's where you and I are, my friend. That small dot contains all the history and hopes and dreams and everything else from the entire span of humanity.
This is as humbling a photo as I've ever seen. Really puts things in proper perspective, doesn't it?
Sunday, October 15, 2006
My first time watching live professional 'rasslin
Yesterday was... different at work. All day Reidsville was having its annual Antique Alley Street Festival, so practically everyone employed at the station was busy doing something either live on the street or back in the studio. I figure that a lot of the other school board candidates probably took the opportunity to do some campaigning but I had to miss out 'cuz of work... but that's okay 'cuz I've never been all that comfortable with working an event like that anyway. People and their families come to something like the Street Festival to have fun and get away from the real-life stuff for a few hours: I wouldn't want to be someone who goes and confronts them with it at something like that. But, that's just me. I had a good time all the same working the Street Festival at the station.
And then came last night...
In a building around the corner and down the street from the station, the AIWF Wrestling crew were setting up the ring and everything to do a bunch of pro wrestling matchups. This was the first night that we were taping the matches for AIWF's new television show, so we had to move a lot of equipment from the station and locations from the festival into the building and get everything set up. Admission was $5 with drinks and popcorn each going for a dollar: guess who wound up being the guy running the makeshift box office? Yup, yours truly :-) Quite a few people - I'd say over a hundred easily - came to watch the pro wrestling. And I've seen it tons of times on television over the year but this was the first time I'd seen it live and up close.
How was it? Well... the people who paid to see it were definitely entertained. But for the first time I realized how much that pro wrestling really is a sport about theatrics and slick acrobatics. Gotta admit that these are a pretty colorful bunch of guys - with names like Gemini and Butch Steel and East Coast Bodily Harm - who go all-out to give the audience a good show. I was more impressed with their skill in the ring to seemingly do so many dangerous stunts without anyone really getting hurt or injured. I would never try to do something like what these guys were doing... but I have to admire the way they executed it all, even though more than a few times it was pretty obvious that they weren't even really hitting each other. And then to see a wrestler talking trash into the camera about another one during the show but later see them hanging out with each other like they were good drinking buddies...
I think I'm finally starting to understand pro wrestling's appeal, even though some of its fans will admit that it's not an "authentic" sporting event: people love to watch good guys and bad guys fight it out. Even if they're fake good guys and bad guys (but from what I saw of them before and after the show they're all a decent and fun bunch of people) it's that whole thing about being able to see the world in the basest terms of black and white and pick sides. Which is maybe why I didn't enjoy it as much as most of the people last night: because I've come to a point in my life where I can't see other people in terms of black/white but instead have realized that it's really a myriad shades of gray. I sort of regret that, because the people last night - including just about all of my co-workers - really were having a good time watching this, and it was something that I couldn't make myself appreciate on the same level.
But, it was the first time that I'd seen pro wrestling being done live, and so I'm probably always going to remember all the craziness that happened last night for as long as I live. I gotta admit: it was certainly a different way to work a Saturday night than just being in the studio and hitting "play" for Inside the Game or Home Team.
Friday, October 13, 2006
HOW could I forget the new DOCTOR WHO tonight?
"Hello Sarah-Jane.""Oh my God... I'm the tin dog!"
"You can spend the rest of your life with me. But I can't spend the rest of my life with you... that's the curse of the Time Lord."
"I saw things you wouldn't believe..."
"We are in a car!"
"You good dog."
"You need a Smith on board!"
"Say it please! This time... say it."
Darn... tonight is when America get another new episode of Doctor Who on the Sci-Fi Channel and I completely forgot about it. And I am really kicking myself because this is by far one of the best episodes of the revitalized series.
(Yah I'm one of those die-hard Who fans that downloads the bootlegs from England right after they run there... if there's any better use for bit-torrent I've yet to find it :-)
It'll probably be rerun throughout the weekend though, but tonight brought us "School Reunion". After almost a quarter-century since we last saw her in the special "The Five Doctors", Sarah-Jane Smith returns! And like I said when I first reviewed this episode, Elisabeth Sladen is as beautiful as ever. The Doctor (David Tennant) has conveniently become a substitute teacher at a school where a lot of weird things are happening. With Rose (Billie Piper) stationed in the kitchen and Mickey (Noel Clarke) trying to hack some top-secret info - and there's that "Torchwood" thing again - the trio is trying to get to the bottom of things. Meanwhile the headmaster of the school - evilly played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Stewart Head - is leading reporter Sarah-Jane Smith around the school, but she thinks there's something amiss in this place too. And later that night while searching the grounds, Sarah-Jane is confronted with the sight of a certain familiar blue police box...
The reunion of Sarah-Jane - perhaps the most beloved companion in the history of the show - with the Doctor is handled exquisitely. And Sarah-Jane isn't the only one making a comeback: in her car she's got K-9 the robot dog... and after the Doctor makes a few repairs K-9 still has John Leeson's voice! Plenty of references to old-school Who and lot of humor in this episode. And more than the usual amount of heartbreak. There is some really terrific - and sad - dialogue at work here. I thought the scene just before K-9's "last stand" was handled exceptionally well: even if you had never seen K-9 before tonight, you really got the sense that he and the Doctor had a great relationship back in the day. Also well directed is the final scene between the Doctor and Sarah-Jane... which finally brings her the closure that she didn't get when Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor left her back on Earth more than thirty years ago.
Watch it if you possibly can this weekend on the Sci-Fi Channel, or just do what I did and download "School Reunion": this one's a definite Doctor Who classic.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
"What if you don't win?" And some thoughts about the commercial...
In the past 24 hours or so my first campaign commercial has been getting a lot of attention. Tuesday afternoon its page on YouTube had registered about 280 viewings. As I write this it's now up to 1,416... something like 600% more than what it got on the first three days of being online put together.
So, it's out there. And from what I've heard its evoked quite a wide range of reaction. Since Friday evening a lot of people have said they like the ad and that based on it, they will definitely be casting a vote for me in November. It's been called the most unique political advertisement for this kind of election that this area has ever seen. There's been plenty of positive word about it. And then there's been the negative: some people saying that I'm a "nut" for making this ad. One person said that I look "evil" during the disclaimer at the beginning. More than a few have said I went too far in showing a schoolhouse exploding. And there's been the share of trolls that this ad seems to have brought out of the woodwork since putting it on YouTube: the ones who don't do much else than attack others' work that they would be too lazy to attempt on their own. But those were pretty much expected anyway.
Was it a mistake to have created this commercial? Have I shot myself in the foot by putting this out there and on the air?
What can I say? It's a Chris Knight commercial. It's not the only thing I plan on doing so far as a TV ad goes but it definitely was the one I wanted to do first. It's as reflective of who I am as a person as I could manage to put into one minute of airtime: the central concern I have about where public education is going, my determination toward doing something about it, my being a fiscal conservative and supporter of the arts and athletics... and a little of my more human side. Namely that I'm a Star Wars fan (and will never apologize for that) and that I like to engage myself creatively. This was the commercial that was screaming in my head to get made, or else I would regret denying it life years on down the road.
And it had to be done in my personal style. A commercial that I like even more than my own is Eric Smith's ad: the one where he's speaking toward the camera while the video for Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2" is playing in the background. I love that ad! I don't know if I could do something like that though, at least not for a first commercial. It works great for Eric though. But as individual candidates, we do what we each feel led to do that'll get our message out.
Is this commercial perfect? Heck no. I ran into more than a few technical problems while making it and it does show. There were some things I shouldn't have done in light of the experience I had with making Forcery. Admittedly there are some "rough edges". But given what I had to work with and the time available to produce it, I think I gave it my best.
Running for office isn't something you follow the instructions for like from a cookbook. There is no "do this then do that" plan that is guaranteed to give you a margin for victory on Election Day. There is no "right" way to go about doing this, and there's no "wrong" way either. There's just what you feel led to do, as honorably as you can, and let the chips fall where they may. That and give it your best effort.
What a lot of people outside this area aren't realizing is that there are sixteen people in this race... which has necessitated it being that everyone involved is having to do something unique in their own way to try and stand out. I'm hearing about a lot of campaign styles going on in this race: some seem to be focusing on using yard signs and others are doing their best to go door-to-door. One candidate is doing something that though I personally wouldn't do this, I understand how and why it is that they are doing it. Some are relying completely on word of mouth and I think at least more than one of those might win a seat. A few candidates have gone full-tilt with trying to cover all the bases, including TV ads. And like I said before: those that do TV ads are making them as best as they know how to reflect their personality and beliefs. Again, there is no right or wrong way to do this. There's just the "doing it" and hoping that it'll convince the voters that you're the right man or woman for the job.
And I may be violating a lot of precepts of political science but I find it impossible to consider my fellow citizens - the ones who will be casting their votes a few weeks from now - as impersonal assets to be manipulated and coerced into voting for me. No, if I'm going to win this school board election it has to be done honestly, without trying to cast any illusions about who or what I may or may not be. There's no way I could compromise on who I am if I end up taking a seat on the school board... so why would I want to compromise myself in the process of getting there?
In light of this commercial, some people have sent along word that they are actively praying that I lose in next month's election. I've never really thought of it as being that anybody "loses" an election. That kind of thinking is anti-republic in my mind. It implies that the winner automatically receives a mandate to do whatever the heck he or she wants to do with the office. This "winner take all/first past the post" mentality may be what dominates American politics, but it isn't a sentiment that a real servant of the people is supposed to share.
If I'm not elected, I will not have "lost" the election: it will simply mean that I wasn't elected to serve on the board this time. That my offer to serve was considered but politely turned down. And that's it. There are sixteen people running for five seats and although based on everything I've heard they are all wonderful and sincere people, only a few will be able to go on to serve on the board. That doesn't make anyone not elected "losers" by any count. If anything they are winners, in that they were willing to step forward and go through the strenuous demands put on a candidate.
Maybe it's the fear of "losing" that discourages a lot of people from considering running for office. If so, they need to get over it... 'cuz I would love to see a lot more people be willing to run for office. The Founding Fathers left this country to the people, and it's been darned too few of us that have stepped up to accept the responsibilities given us. After all, it's we the people who own this country, not a secluded elite of politicians and journalists inside the beltway of Washington D.C.
If I win, I will commit nothing less than complete devotion toward fulfilling the office that I'll be swearing to uphold. But if I don't win a seat, it won't be that big a deal. Seriously.
If I don't win, maybe it will be that it was not in God's will that I win this election. If so, I'll be very fine with that. And I want to write more about this later after this is all done with, but God has been revealing a lot of things to me during this entire process the past few months. Being a candidate for public office has been a growth experience that has radically expanded my understanding of things in a lot of realms, especially the temporal and the spiritual. I've been trying for the past six years to write a book about Christianity and politics, and... the best I can say this is that something was missing from the perfect vision of what it is that I've been struggling to say with this. I know what that is now, and I can finally move forward with that project. But it's not just that: as a person who is a follower of Christ and is an American citizen trying to uphold his part of the stewardship we have over this country, I've a vastly widened perspective on things that is going to be a part of me for the rest of my life. I don't know if I could have had that, had I not jumped feet-first into this election.
A few months ago the thought of being in this school board race was the furthest thought in my mind. Today I'm a candidate, facing all the challenges and responsibilities that come with that. And these past few months - and no doubt the weeks ahead - have brought out a side of me that I had no idea was there before. A lot of my closest friends have told me that they are really seeing the best in me shine through during this whole thing.
The biggest thing that's happened to me since becoming a candidate is that I have come to rely on the grace of God more than I ever have before in my life. Especially in the past several days: the first time in my political career that I've encountered real nastiness thrown my way. I could have become angry or even discouraged by all of it. Instead I have asked God to lend me His strength and to give me a spiritual shield against the fiery darts. I have asked Him to help me that though some are showing hatred toward me, that I not return hatred toward them in kind. There are some people in this world who seem to get their kicks from trying to hurt and destroy others. As a follower of Christ who is striving to put aside the old nature, I am constantly asking God to keep me from yielding to the temptation to reciprocate accordingly.
Maybe God has something better for me a long time from now, years down the road, even if I don't win this election. If so, His subjecting me to this is another growth opportunity. He is leading me through the fire and hardening me so that when the time comes, I can face bigger challenges. I really believe that with all my heart. Ten years ago I was an entirely different person than the one I am today. God led me through fire then... but He also brought me out of it. And He didn't give up on me either even though there were times that I felt like I had given up on Him. But He was faithful and He made me emerge from the trials a much stronger, more confident person. It could very well be that God led me to make this commercial, just so it would bring on a barrage of attacks on me and that I would ask Him to help me stand up against it. If so, I will be thankful to Him that He is doing this... and probably a lot more so years down the line.
Well, there is more that I could say about this and some other things. But the gist of it is: since being a candidate I have grown as a person, as a friend, as a husband, and as a servant of Christ. I am a completely better person since having the courage to put myself in the line of fire. Even if I were to know way ahead of time that I'm set to not win this election, I would absolutely have put myself through this process all over again, for the growth that I have experienced these past several weeks.
So from now until this election is over, I'm going to try my best to emulate one of my favorite heroes from history: Robert E. Lee. And decide in my heart that whatever happens, it will be God's will. That, and try to do my best in the meantime.
And in that meantime, I've got one and maybe two more commercials in the pot. So as we say in television: "Stay tuned!"
So, it's out there. And from what I've heard its evoked quite a wide range of reaction. Since Friday evening a lot of people have said they like the ad and that based on it, they will definitely be casting a vote for me in November. It's been called the most unique political advertisement for this kind of election that this area has ever seen. There's been plenty of positive word about it. And then there's been the negative: some people saying that I'm a "nut" for making this ad. One person said that I look "evil" during the disclaimer at the beginning. More than a few have said I went too far in showing a schoolhouse exploding. And there's been the share of trolls that this ad seems to have brought out of the woodwork since putting it on YouTube: the ones who don't do much else than attack others' work that they would be too lazy to attempt on their own. But those were pretty much expected anyway.
Was it a mistake to have created this commercial? Have I shot myself in the foot by putting this out there and on the air?
What can I say? It's a Chris Knight commercial. It's not the only thing I plan on doing so far as a TV ad goes but it definitely was the one I wanted to do first. It's as reflective of who I am as a person as I could manage to put into one minute of airtime: the central concern I have about where public education is going, my determination toward doing something about it, my being a fiscal conservative and supporter of the arts and athletics... and a little of my more human side. Namely that I'm a Star Wars fan (and will never apologize for that) and that I like to engage myself creatively. This was the commercial that was screaming in my head to get made, or else I would regret denying it life years on down the road.
And it had to be done in my personal style. A commercial that I like even more than my own is Eric Smith's ad: the one where he's speaking toward the camera while the video for Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2" is playing in the background. I love that ad! I don't know if I could do something like that though, at least not for a first commercial. It works great for Eric though. But as individual candidates, we do what we each feel led to do that'll get our message out.
Is this commercial perfect? Heck no. I ran into more than a few technical problems while making it and it does show. There were some things I shouldn't have done in light of the experience I had with making Forcery. Admittedly there are some "rough edges". But given what I had to work with and the time available to produce it, I think I gave it my best.
Running for office isn't something you follow the instructions for like from a cookbook. There is no "do this then do that" plan that is guaranteed to give you a margin for victory on Election Day. There is no "right" way to go about doing this, and there's no "wrong" way either. There's just what you feel led to do, as honorably as you can, and let the chips fall where they may. That and give it your best effort.
What a lot of people outside this area aren't realizing is that there are sixteen people in this race... which has necessitated it being that everyone involved is having to do something unique in their own way to try and stand out. I'm hearing about a lot of campaign styles going on in this race: some seem to be focusing on using yard signs and others are doing their best to go door-to-door. One candidate is doing something that though I personally wouldn't do this, I understand how and why it is that they are doing it. Some are relying completely on word of mouth and I think at least more than one of those might win a seat. A few candidates have gone full-tilt with trying to cover all the bases, including TV ads. And like I said before: those that do TV ads are making them as best as they know how to reflect their personality and beliefs. Again, there is no right or wrong way to do this. There's just the "doing it" and hoping that it'll convince the voters that you're the right man or woman for the job.
And I may be violating a lot of precepts of political science but I find it impossible to consider my fellow citizens - the ones who will be casting their votes a few weeks from now - as impersonal assets to be manipulated and coerced into voting for me. No, if I'm going to win this school board election it has to be done honestly, without trying to cast any illusions about who or what I may or may not be. There's no way I could compromise on who I am if I end up taking a seat on the school board... so why would I want to compromise myself in the process of getting there?
In light of this commercial, some people have sent along word that they are actively praying that I lose in next month's election. I've never really thought of it as being that anybody "loses" an election. That kind of thinking is anti-republic in my mind. It implies that the winner automatically receives a mandate to do whatever the heck he or she wants to do with the office. This "winner take all/first past the post" mentality may be what dominates American politics, but it isn't a sentiment that a real servant of the people is supposed to share.
If I'm not elected, I will not have "lost" the election: it will simply mean that I wasn't elected to serve on the board this time. That my offer to serve was considered but politely turned down. And that's it. There are sixteen people running for five seats and although based on everything I've heard they are all wonderful and sincere people, only a few will be able to go on to serve on the board. That doesn't make anyone not elected "losers" by any count. If anything they are winners, in that they were willing to step forward and go through the strenuous demands put on a candidate.
Maybe it's the fear of "losing" that discourages a lot of people from considering running for office. If so, they need to get over it... 'cuz I would love to see a lot more people be willing to run for office. The Founding Fathers left this country to the people, and it's been darned too few of us that have stepped up to accept the responsibilities given us. After all, it's we the people who own this country, not a secluded elite of politicians and journalists inside the beltway of Washington D.C.
If I win, I will commit nothing less than complete devotion toward fulfilling the office that I'll be swearing to uphold. But if I don't win a seat, it won't be that big a deal. Seriously.
If I don't win, maybe it will be that it was not in God's will that I win this election. If so, I'll be very fine with that. And I want to write more about this later after this is all done with, but God has been revealing a lot of things to me during this entire process the past few months. Being a candidate for public office has been a growth experience that has radically expanded my understanding of things in a lot of realms, especially the temporal and the spiritual. I've been trying for the past six years to write a book about Christianity and politics, and... the best I can say this is that something was missing from the perfect vision of what it is that I've been struggling to say with this. I know what that is now, and I can finally move forward with that project. But it's not just that: as a person who is a follower of Christ and is an American citizen trying to uphold his part of the stewardship we have over this country, I've a vastly widened perspective on things that is going to be a part of me for the rest of my life. I don't know if I could have had that, had I not jumped feet-first into this election.
A few months ago the thought of being in this school board race was the furthest thought in my mind. Today I'm a candidate, facing all the challenges and responsibilities that come with that. And these past few months - and no doubt the weeks ahead - have brought out a side of me that I had no idea was there before. A lot of my closest friends have told me that they are really seeing the best in me shine through during this whole thing.
The biggest thing that's happened to me since becoming a candidate is that I have come to rely on the grace of God more than I ever have before in my life. Especially in the past several days: the first time in my political career that I've encountered real nastiness thrown my way. I could have become angry or even discouraged by all of it. Instead I have asked God to lend me His strength and to give me a spiritual shield against the fiery darts. I have asked Him to help me that though some are showing hatred toward me, that I not return hatred toward them in kind. There are some people in this world who seem to get their kicks from trying to hurt and destroy others. As a follower of Christ who is striving to put aside the old nature, I am constantly asking God to keep me from yielding to the temptation to reciprocate accordingly.
Maybe God has something better for me a long time from now, years down the road, even if I don't win this election. If so, His subjecting me to this is another growth opportunity. He is leading me through the fire and hardening me so that when the time comes, I can face bigger challenges. I really believe that with all my heart. Ten years ago I was an entirely different person than the one I am today. God led me through fire then... but He also brought me out of it. And He didn't give up on me either even though there were times that I felt like I had given up on Him. But He was faithful and He made me emerge from the trials a much stronger, more confident person. It could very well be that God led me to make this commercial, just so it would bring on a barrage of attacks on me and that I would ask Him to help me stand up against it. If so, I will be thankful to Him that He is doing this... and probably a lot more so years down the line.
Well, there is more that I could say about this and some other things. But the gist of it is: since being a candidate I have grown as a person, as a friend, as a husband, and as a servant of Christ. I am a completely better person since having the courage to put myself in the line of fire. Even if I were to know way ahead of time that I'm set to not win this election, I would absolutely have put myself through this process all over again, for the growth that I have experienced these past several weeks.
So from now until this election is over, I'm going to try my best to emulate one of my favorite heroes from history: Robert E. Lee. And decide in my heart that whatever happens, it will be God's will. That, and try to do my best in the meantime.
And in that meantime, I've got one and maybe two more commercials in the pot. So as we say in television: "Stay tuned!"
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
News & Record article on those wacky school board commercials
Lex Alexander at the News & Record has written-up a story about the various TV commercials that have been spawned by the Rockingham County Board of Education race. In it he talks to Eric Smith, Richard Moore and Yours Truly about the ads we've got running on the web and local television. You definitely get a sense from reading the article - titled "These aren't your congressman's TV ads" - that these commercials are a little on the quirky side...
...Which I think is great! Just imagine what would happen if every election had more than the two stale old parties that are always on the ballot, and instead have a whole slate of characters to choose from. Why, every one of them would be doing something different and a little wild in trying to stand out for the voters. This school board election, in my mind, is a model of how elections all over America should be. It's definitely a race involving individuals, not parties. Who knows: as morally bankrupt as both the major parties are fast being revealed to be, maybe we're seeing a little something of the future in the Rockingham County school board race happening right now.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
"R.A.B.": Rowling reveals the big Harry Potter mystery
Toward the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry and Professor Dumbledore embarked on a quest to find one of Voldemort's Horcruxes (a Horcrux is an object containing part of a person's soul, so that as long as the Horcrux exists that person is immortal). They believed they had found it in a locket hidden in a faraway cave. Dumbledore almost died in the process of recovering it. They transported back to Hogwarts just as Voldemort's followers had begun a full-scale invasion of the school. Then came the most unkind cut of all: Dumbledore was murdered in cold blood by Severus Snape... who Dumbledore had insisted to everyone that he trusted completely.
Later, as he looked on Dumbledore's dead body, Harry noticed that the locket isn't the one they were supposed to be looking for at all. And inside, on a piece of parchment, he found a note:
For more than a year now fans have been speculating about who "R.A.B." might be, and there's been one standout name that a lot of evidence has been pointing to. Well, it looks like J.K. Rowling herself has let it slip just who "R.A.B." is. From the Nimbus Network in Portugal...To the Dark Lord
I know I will be dead long before you read this
but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret.
I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can.
I face death in the hope that when you meet your match,
you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B.
Who is R.A.B.? - Short SummaryAll that was needed was his middle name, and it looks like it all falls neatly into place: Regulus Black, the younger brother of Sirius Black. All we really know about Regulus is what Sirius told Harry: Regulus was one of Voldemort's followers, the Death Eaters. But then Regulus decided that he was in way over his head and tried to get out... except that once you commit to following Voldemort it really is a lifetime thing. He was killed, probably by another Death Eater on Voldemort's orders.
Publicado por Nadir Tejani @ 09-10-2006
Comentários: 0To clarify any misunderstandings, Nimbus Network would like to explain international websites how we got the information about R.A.B. identity.
(Spoiler Warning)
On the 26th of October, 2005, Nimbus Network received a message from Isabel Nunes, responsible for the translation and coordination of the Portuguese versions of the Harry Potter series. In that message, Mrs. Nunes told us directly who R.A.B. was:
Since it is common knowledge, and it was already confirmed by JKR (when we asked her about the character's sex), I don't mind telling you: R.A.B. is Regulus Arcturus Black.Although we wanted to tell everyone who R.A.B. was, we asked Mrs. Nunes for more details about the revelation - it wouldn't be professional to disclose an information this important. The answer arrived three days later:Dear NadirI've decided to send the confirmation due to many speculations concerning the identity of RAB. It may bring doubts about its credibility, so I'll explain: there is an informal group of translators of the Harry Potter books who kept in touch during the translation of HP6, which, while exchanging ideias and informations, managed to overcome some difficulties. JKR's agent was posed a question concerning the sex of RAB (this is not the first situation of this kind, as has also happened with the characters of Sinistra and Blaise Zabini). It's always needed to proceed through writers' agents because there isn't any direct contact with the writer. We were truly amazed when the written answer had not only the sex but the true identity of R.A.B. To be truly honest, we don't have any clearance to disclose this but we hadn't been told otherwise. There was not any direct concerning about not publishing this information...
So if R.A.B. was Regulus Black, and Regulus did manage to steal the real locket that was the Horcrux... where is that locket now?
Look in the pages of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, particularly the part where Harry and the others are doing some housecleaning around Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
Friday, October 06, 2006
School Board Campaign Commercial #1
It started airing this afternoon. It's ummmm... elicited some interesting comments. I'll probably be releasing another version soon with a different disclaimer at the beginning, 'cuz I'm not all that happy with it: I wanted to shoot that outside but we've had a lot of rain the past few days.
So here it is, my first-ever political campaign TV ad:
Baring "Tooth and Claw" tonight on DOCTOR WHO
I've come up with a pretty cool theory about the British sci-fi TV show Doctor Who, and tonight's episode is an example of it: the Doctor is trying to bring Rose to the year 1979 (the year of The Muppet Movie and Margaret Thatcher as he puts it ) but instead the TARDIS brings them to 1879. Why, in spite of the Doctor's best attempts to go where and when he wants, does the TARDIS always seem to bring him into the middle of danger and terror? It's almost like the TARDIS has a distinct mind of its own. I mean this has been going on since the very beginning of the show over forty years ago. Well, here's my idea: the Doctor, whether he knows it or not, is acting as an agent of God. It's the Almighty Himself who is steering the TARDIS according to His will. Wherever there is something going wrong anywhere in time and space, God is sending the Doctor there... because God knows that the Doctor will do his best to make things right no matter where or when he's at. Sorta like on Quantum Leap how it was implied that something - or Someone - on a higher plane was directing Sam's leaps.
Well anyway, if you're watching Season 2 (28 if you're counting from the original run of Doctor Who) in the States on the Sci-Fi Channel right now, tonight at 8 o'clock brings us "Tooth and Claw", the second standard Doctor Who episode featuring David Tennant as the tenth Doctor. Definitely a stronger episode than the previous entry "New Earth". Tonight's is a story involving werewolves, wire-fu The Matrix martial artists, and a face-to-face meeting with Her Majesty Queen Victoria. It's also a fairly important episode in the current overall mythology of the show because it has a little to do with "Torchwood", which you will be hearing plenty more about as the season progresses. All things considered, a solid episode that kicks off a whole string of solid stories that continues over the next few weeks with "School Reunion" and "The Girl in the Fireplace".
