Films From The 80’s

Tonight my family watched The Princess Bride and all six of us loved it, two years old through forty-six.  Smarmy, geeky, silly movies from 1980’s.  You gotta love them. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back, The Karate Kid, The Last Starfighter, . . . and of course War Games.

Good news for movie lovers –the original WarGames will be back at the movie theaters next week. Seriously. WarGames will mark its 25th anniversary (man I feel old) by playing for one night only in select theaters nationwide on Thursday, July 24th. The showing will include never-before-seen interviews with the film’s creators, the cast (including Ferris Bueller Professor Gadget Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy), and crew. The July 24th celebration and reprise will also include a sneak peek at the making of the sequel – WarGames: The Dead Code.

I know where I will be next Thursday.

Parker’s Maze

My son made the maze below. Yes, I think he is amazing. Can you figure it out?

Tony Dungy on Family, Fatherhood, & Football

Tony Dungy, the first African-American coach to win the Super Bowl when the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in 2007, speaks with WSJ’s Bob Hughes about his latest work, the children’s book, You Can Do It !

Creative Graduation Speech

As valedictorian of my class twenty-eight years ago I spoke at the Picher-Cardin High School graduation. I wish I would have been half as creative as these guys.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

We finally got around to taking the family to see the new Indiana Jones movie. It was in many ways what I was expecting. There was the cast of characters with whom we were familiar, chase scenes, critters to make you squirm (like the previous snakes and rats and roaches), exotic locations, humor, and the sense that you are engaging in entertainment that is not as mindless as most.

But there were some things that were NOT what I was expecting. Previous episodes were written in the vein of what you might hear from callers into Michael Medved’s radio talk show when he hosts his weekly Conspiracy Day. However, Read more

The Innocent Book Thief

Anatole France once said that it was not wise to lend books because no one ever returned them. He went on to say that the only books he had in his library were the books lent to him by others.

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Little Blue Plug, Not Little Brown Jug

I keep a little blue plug on my desk. It is there as a reminder to me not to do something stupid. Not that it really works (as is evidenced by me catching a scorpion Sunday night and bringing it into a colleagues office as a gift), but that is the intention nonetheless. Why a little blue plug? It is a Quickport Cat5e Jack for a wall outlet into which a network cable was inserted for a software training class to have internet access. I got up to get coffee, wasn’t watching where my feet were going, Read more

Killing Them With Kindness

Whew. You made it through another Father’s Day without giving your dad a necktie. Congratulations. It isn’t always easy to find the right gift for Dad, or Mom, or anyone else. Finding the right “Thank You” gift that genuinely expresses your appreciation can also be quite difficult. Consider this story of gift giving gone bad.

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Written by admin · Filed Under Recent Posts, Stories, Warm Front 

Best Amazing Grace Recording

June 10, 2008

What is the best audio recording of Amazing Grace? This week I was at a party for my brother-in-law in which each of the guests had contributed a favorite song for a compilation CD. One of those attending had selected Elvis’ recording of Amazing Grace. They explained, “Everyone knows it is the best recording of Amazing Grace, ever.” Really? This particular “everyone” doesn’t know that. I like Elvis, but am not particularly fond of his rendition of Amazing Grace.

So, my question is, which is the best recording of Amazing Grace ever?

Here are some of those that I know of. Feel free to contribute others in the comment area below.

101 Strings Orchestra
Tori Amos
Chet Atkins
Joan Baez
Batmobile
The Beat Daddys
Elmer Bernstein
Blind Boys of Alabama
Pat Boone
Boys II Men
Shirley Caesar
Glen Campbell
Johnny Cash
Cecilia
Charley Daniels Band
Cherry Bomb Club
Cincinnati Pops
Charlotte Church
Judy Collins
Crazy Cat George
Dave Matthews Band
The David Rose Orchestra
Ani DeFranco
Phil Driscoll
Esteban
Faith Evans
Fats Domino
Scott Fitzgerald
Aretha Franklin
Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
The Gatlin Brothers
George Gershwin
Mickey Gilley
Al Green
Arlo Guthrie
Merl Haggard
Jimmy Hendrix
Whitney Houston
Mahalia Jackson
Sonny James
George Jones
Janis Joplin
Jordanaires
K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Krystal
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Christy Lane
Leadbelly
Meadowlark Lemon
The Lemonheads
Loretta Lynn
Blind Willie McTell
Herbie Mann
Glenn Miller
Drop Kick Murphy
Anne Murray
Jim Neighbors
Willie Nelson
The Neville Brothers
Oak Ridge Boys
Original Drifters
Patti Page
Twila Paris
Vicki Philips
Pras-Ghetto
Elvis Presley
Ray Prices
Boots Randolph
Lou Rawls
Charlie Rich
LeAnn Rimes
Diana Ross
Pete Seeger
Seven Nations
Shanon
Robert Shaw Festival Singers
Paul Simon
Tommy Smith
Ray Stevens
Rod Stewart
Supastar Mantovani
B.J. Thomas
Randy Travis
Tsa’ Ne Dose
Ike & Tina Turner
Conway Twitty
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Voices of Watts
The Von Trapp Children
The Weavers
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lawrence Welk
Andy Williams
Victor Wooten
Glen Yarbrough

Okay, there are a few for you to consider. Amazon lists 3,213 Mp3 downloads for “Amazing Grace” so I am sure this list is just the top of the iceberg. Which is your favorite?

Written by admin · Filed Under Music, Recent Posts 

Television Sports

June 3, 2008

For twelve years I was on the wagon. I stayed clean and sober for twelve long years. Yes, for twelve (count them) years I did not watch any televised sports.

What would cause a person to engage in such a hermit’s life, you ask? Read more

Written by admin · Filed Under Family Circus, Humor, Recent Posts 

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