Bedlam Reminder November 1, 2003 12:00 am

Odds 'n' Ends November 3, 2003 12:00 am

So if you send me one of those and I don't send it back, it doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you. It means I am! 1:48pm
 

Stop Drive-Through Mastectomies November 3, 2003 12:00 am

 
There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the "drive-through mastectomy" where women are forced to go home hours after surgery against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.

PLEASE!!!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below and help women living with breast cancer get the care they need and deserve!! There is no cost or monetary pledge involved. You need not give more than your name and zip code number. It only takes 2 seconds.

http://lifetimetv.com/reallife/bc/pledges/bc_mast_pledge.html 1:23pm
 

The Fair and Balanced Hearing That Got Fox News Laughed Out of the Courtroom November 11, 2003 12:00 am

 
Remember when Fox News tried to prevent Al Franken's book from going to press, claiming they had the trademark to the phrase "fair and balanced" even though it appeared on the cover of Franken's book? The judge only needed a five-minute recess before denying the injunction.

Actually, the judge had probably already decided, and took those five minutes to write the decision. For anyone who may be interested, here's the transcript of that hearing. A quick glance, and it looks to me like Fox screwed up right at the beginning, when they tried to count the judge as one of the subscribers (which was probably true), and therefore one of the offended, when he likely doesn't even watch the channel. 12:36pm
 

The 262nd Sign of the Apocalypse November 12, 2003 12:00 am

 
According to Variety, NBC has announced plans for a miniseries dealing with the final showdown between God and Satan, as foretold in the Book of Revelation.

And if that's not apocalyptic, I dunno what is. 10:15pm
 

Something I Just Discovered About Myself November 15, 2003 12:00 am

 
My initials, MLM, form the Roman Numeral 1950. 8:10pm
 

As Exciting as It Gets Around Here November 26, 2003 12:00 am

 
After splitting off into two separate editions nearly twenty years ago, the Tulsa and Oklahoma City editions of TV Guide have reconverged into one big Oklahoma State edition. Likely a by-product of all the layoffs that have been going on within that company.

No, seriously, that's the most exciting thing that's happened around here. I mean, we just had our first hard freeze of the year (unusual for it to be so late), the area was under lockdown for a few hours a couple of weeks ago when they thought Scott Eizember was in the area (turned out not to be him, but it was someone wanted by the law in Arkansas, so it wasn't a total loss), and after six weeks I'm still looking for work (I know of several jobs I could probably get, but none of them will be available until after the first of the year).

Did see a couple of new movies. I highly recommend "Scary Movie 3". Unlike the first two (which were created by the Wayans brothers), this sequel is the work of some of the creators of the "Airplane!" and "Naked Gun" movies. It even has Leslie Nielsen in it, as well as a brief homage to "Airplane!" that creates a magnificent plot twist. I was laughing for a good five minutes on that one.

On the other end of the spectrum, stay far away from "The Cat in the Hat". There is nothing even remotely cute about this film, and it is definitely not for kids. What's worse (in fact, worse enough for it to be The 263rd Sign of the Apocalypse: the sequel, "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back", has already been greenlighted.

I was gonna try some Seussical rhyme here about how I wasn't gonna see the sequel, but I got as far as

I would not watch it on a dare
Not with the corpse of Fred Astaire

What Is the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow? November 27, 2003 12:00 am

Somebody with far too much time on his hands has calculated The Answer. 10:56pm
 

ABATE Christmas Toy Run November 30, 2003 12:00 am

 
Time is rapidly approaching for the American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE) Annual Motorcycle Toy Run, as the countdown clock is currently displaying. It needs to be emphasized here that our toy run (yes, I am a member of ABATE, even though I could not be considered a "biker" by any stretch of the imagination) is occuring as it usually does, on the second Sunday of December (the 14th). The group of bikes will be leaving from 61st and Riverside at 1pm that day, heading up Riverside, then down 15th Street, to end at the Clear Channel (Fox-23) parking lot at 27th and Memorial, just north of I-44. I say "emphasized" because this year there are two toy runs.

For the past 23 years the toys collected by the ABATE Toy Run would go to the Salvation Army. This year, the 24th, it was decided by the membership of ABATE not to give their donations to that organization. The reason for this is that the Salvation Army of Tulsa has taken the donated toys (30,000+) from ABATE and then shunned the group while publicly embracing the more acceptable contributors.

When this decision was made known, Salvation Army of Tulsa contested the decision by demanding a hearing with city officials claiming that it was their toy run, and we had no authority to change the beneficiary. At that hearing it was proven that ABATE had been the sole group responsible for the event: it had always been the ABATE of Tulsa's Christmas Toy Run, with the Salvation Army being the beneficiary. In fact, except for a small contribution last year, the Salvation Army had never provided any monetary assistance in coordiating the first 22 Toy Runs. Toys for Tots, this year's beneficiary, graciously offered to fill any and all requests made to them by the Salvation Army. This offer was answered with a resounding NO. They decided instead to hold their own toy run, the Sunday before ours.

While this is all "for the children", the attitude of the Tulsa Salvation Army representatives is that of greed and self-serving promotion. The advertising is less than factual and displays no regard for the charitable image they wish to display. Their current and past behaviors speak volumes. Many in the motorcycle community wish to blitz their attempt at a toy run with boycotts and all the bad press they can muster. There are already stories being passed on about how the excess toys are SOLD in Salvation Army retail stores and that other charitable organizations MUST make a monetary contribution to receive toys to fulfill their Christmas needs.

Their attitude has apparently not changed in the intervening months. An article about the Salvation Army Toy Run that appeared in the paper last Wednesday still referred to it as the "24th Annual". Let me reiterate: the earliest the 24th Annual Salvation Army of Tulsa Christmas Toy Run could occur is the year 2026! Anger is too tame a word to describe what the ABATE community is feeling. It is obvious that the Tulsa Unit is using their past affiliation with ABATE to rob the community of the truth and publicly benefit from the lies they are spreading. Abate has built this event over the last 23 years while the Tulsa Unit has benefited from their donations. ABATE doesn't need the recognition but robbing them of their event adds just another insult after years of supporting the Tulsa Unit's Christmas Campaign.

This is not the way to create and maintain harmony. The Tulsa Area Salvation Army insists that this is their event, which is untrue. By their refusal to Toys for Tots it is obvious that they are in this for more than helping the children.

In conclusion, if you have plenty of new unwrapped toys that you wish to contribute and would like to take part in both toy runs, magnificent, more power to ya. But if you can only participate in one, make sure it's the 24th Annual ABATE of Tulsa Motorcycle Toy Run, Benefiting the USMC Toys For Tots, on Sunday December 14th. Click on the ABATE logo above for more information. 3:12pm