All Things Considered, October 19, 2006 ·

Before a recent middle school cross-country race in Oregon, runner Kevin Cox found himself facing unexpected competition: a deer.

In a series of photos, Cox is shown running with the overly friendly animal, which at one point caught him and began treating him as a human salt lick.

Cox, a seventh-grader at Cascade Middle School in Bend, Ore., and a good sport, tells Robert Siegel that the experience was funny… but “a little scary,” too.

“Then it started licking my back and the coaches said that’s because [the deer] wanted the salt from my sweat on my back,” Kevin says.

NPR Story

Jay Reeves - Birmingham News - Tuesday, October 24, 2006

The Masons, the storied fraternal order whose members have included Mozart, George Washington and John Wayne, has become entwined across the Deep South with the remnants of another tradition in these parts: strict segregation.

Nationwide, Masonic groups operate in a separate-but-supposedly-equal system in which whites typically join one network of Masonic groups, called Grand Lodges, and blacks join another, called Prince Hall.

White-controlled Grand Lodges in 12 Southern states do not officially recognize black Masons - the Masonic term is “mutual recognition” - and in some cases, black lodges have taken similar stands.

Masons have quietly debated race relations for years, and the issue is increasingly coming into public view.

In Alabama, some dissident whites have split from the lodge system, and Republican Gov. Bob Riley’s membership in an all-white lodge has drawn fire in his campaign for a second term. In North Carolina, white Masons recently voted down a bid to recognize members of the black group as fellow Masons. Alabama Governor Bob Riley was invested with the Rank and Decoration of Knight Commander of the Court of Honor on May 9, 2005, in a private ceremony held at the Alabama Governor’s Mansion. Bro. Riley had been honored by the Supreme Council at its 2003 session but was unable to attend the regularly scheduled Investiture.

“Only the states of the old Confederacy, minus Virginia and plus West Virginia, don’t have mutual recognition,” said Paul Bessel, a Maryland Mason who wrote a book on the topic. “There are, I’m sorry to say, some Masons who are racists. But the vast majority don’t feel that way.”

(more…)

Sunday, October 15, 2006
BOB CARLTON - News staff writer

Nathan Davis wears his devotion on his sleeve.

And his biceps. And neck. And back. And just about anywhere else he can find.

The 33-year-old Davis has turned his body into an indelible billboard for his favorite football team, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

A Crimson Tide elephant adorns his right bicep, and a tattoo of the late Paul “Bear” Bryant decorates the left one. A likeness of former UA quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler is tattooed inside his right forearm and the Alabama state flag is sketched inside his left one.

He has a matching set of signature Alabama A’s inside each of his biceps, which he shows off when he flexes his muscles in the gym, and another one just below his Adam’s apple. The outside of each of his forearms spells out the words “Rammer” and “Jammer,” from the UA victory cheer.

His masterpiece, which cost $3,500 and took a couple of years to complete, is a portrait of Bryant leaning against a goalpost and wearing his trademark houndstooth hat. It covers the bulk of Davis’ massive back.

“My co-workers and people at the gym are like, ‘Why would you put a picture of another man on your body?’,” Davis says. “And I’m like, ‘That is not just another man. He is a disciple to me.’ People don’t understand. It’s a religion.”

And he has one more to come. He is saving up for a Mount Rushmore-like mural of Bryant and fellow national championship-winning coaches Gene Stallings, Frank Thomas and Wallace Wade across his chest, one of the few remaining patches of skin that hasn’t been tattooed with the Tide.

Davis, who grew up in Dothan and worked for five years as an Atlanta police officer, now lives in Fort Collins, Colo., where he works for a company that does background checks for the government and the military.

He became a Crimson Tide fan while watching the 1976 Alabama-Auburn game with his grandfather, William B. Lee, when he was 6 years old. Although his grandfather was an Auburn graduate, he revered Alabama’s Bryant.
(more…)

This Knight Rider outfit is standard issue from Knight Industries and will have you and KITT rounding up the bad guys in no time. The costume includes the wig, jacket and watch. The jacket features a heat transfer of KITT on the back with the Knight Rider Logo.

Price: $29.99

Hurry to get it in time for All Hallow’s Eve.

So, I’m really not too sure what Swami Sananda is all about. He appears to be from Venezuela…and on some page he writes:

Swami Sananda, Ascended Master of the 12th Opal Ray for this solar system, Regent for anchoring the Ray of Will in the east, in the Himalaya mountains…

He appears to be some religious/cultish leader. I base that strictly on his photos since I can’t read his spanish website. “‘Cause uh my spanish ain’t so good since I gave up drugs.”

Hotel Castelar - Buenos Aires, Nov. 2005 (More photos)

Check out how the lady in black on the front row is behaving. She’s really hoping for something good, but is very nervous. See how she is holding onto the lady next to her. She tries to avoid eye contact with Swami, but hopes he notices her.

More from Buenos Aires, Dec. 2005

Note how they bring drinks, cards, magazines, and flowers and put them on stage for Swami.

Photos from Uruguay, Dec. 2005

http://www.swamisananda.com/

Originally posted: Thursday, August 10th, 2006

Update: A possible Swami follower responds…see the comments.

Get a call from Dwight Schrute from the Office. Choose from 5 call options:
- Late for work
- Big Order
- Out of T.P.
- Werewolf
- Resume

Pretty funny stuff. Try it on yourself.

http://www.theofficedvd.com/dwight/

So, undoubtedly you’ve seen the highlights of the Miami - FIU 3rd quarter brawl. I didn’t get a chance to hear the color analyst’s comments until this morning. Lamar Thomas seemed to be as fired up as the players, at one point exclaiming “I feel like taking the elevator down to the field and getting involved myself!” Thomas went on: “You don’t come into our house talking smack!”

Thomas’ rap sheet includes:
• Arrested and jailed for aggravated battery for attacking his pregnant fiancee with a deadly weapon.
• Arrested for violating probation.
• Detained for brandishing a handgun and threatening suicide, prompting authorities to check him in to a mental institution.
• Did jail time for again violating probation related to the battery charges, when he was arrested for choking his fiancee. His six-month old son was present at the scene.

Thomas who was the victim of “The Strip,” shown in this video, in which Alabama’s George Teague ran him down and took the ball just as Thomas was about to score a touchdown for Miami in the 1993 Sugar Bowl. Perhaps this is the source of the pent-up rage?

Thomas’ comments start about 2 minutes in.

Admist the tragedy of New York Yankees pitcher, Corey Lidle, who was killed when his airplane crashed into a NYC high rise apartment building, are the infamous words spoken by Phillies pitcher, Arthur Rhodes.

When Lidle was traded this summer to the Yankees from the Philadelphia Phillies, he said he was excited about pitching in the Bronx because “over the last few years I haven’t had a clubhouse that expected to win with me.” This got back to Phillies reliever Arthur Rhodes, who was less than pleased.

“He is a scab,” Rhodes said. “When he started, he would go 51/3 innings and (the bullpen) would have to win the game for him. The only thing Cory Lidle wants to do is fly around in his airplane and gamble. He doesn’t have a work ethic. After every start, he didn’t run or lift weights. He would sit in the clubhouse and eat ice cream. … He shouldn’t say that, he shouldn’t say anything like that because he is a scab. He crossed the line when guys like me, Flash (Tom Gordon) and (Mike) Lieberthal were playing. He is a replacement player.”

No comments post-crash from Rhodes.

Here’s some more info on the video of the little Indian Superstart that is lighting up the interweb.

Yahoo Video did a short clip on the background of the video. The lead actor is Rajnikanth, a famous Baliwood actor. You can buy the movie, Adhisayappiravi, for $16.95 at www.anytamil.com. The song is called Holiday Rap from the 80s. midget actor’s screen name was ‘Thavakala’ in a colloquial Tamil – It can be translated roughly in English as ‘A frog’ or ‘short’.

Yahoo video