RenigadeCineTrax

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Train

The Train, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

All photos taken at the Ellen Trout Park in Lufkin Texas using the Minolta 70-210 f/4 Beercan.

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/10.0
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 200

DSC02516

DSC02516, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

All photos taken with the Tamron 28-200 F/3.8-5.6 Zoom. Crepuscular rays in the sunset...

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/2000)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 85 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Mack: Rush Limbaugh's Bedroom and Other Meditations

Thanks to Mack Hall for letting me publish this on my site.

Rush Limbaugh's Bedroom and Other Meditations

With the arrival of spring, or as springy as this part of the world ever uncoils, folks go outside and do outside stuff – fertilize the lawn with that bag of crumbly stuff leftover from an autumn sale, talk to the apple blossoms, comment on the bits of green poking up tentatively through November's sere leaves, and sometimes simply sit on the steps and marvel at another new year. At such times one's mind, unleashed from the 'net and the radio and the telly, begins to, well, think:

Evolution is Really Real in Canada

Canada's current national anthem, which Americans got to hear over and over during the Olympics, may soon suffer another change. Once upon a time it was "God Save the Queen / King / Labour Electorate Along the London-Birmingham Axis," and then multiple versions of "O Canada." The original was written by a woman and afterwards modified several times by men. Just now there is a line about Thy Sons or something, which someone says should be Thy Persons or something, and folks in Canada are arguing about it. Perhaps Canadians won't mind a Yank weighing on some word changes:

"O Canada, What Are the Words to Our National Anthem This year? Eh."

"O Canada, We're Not the USA. Eh."

"O Canada, Built on Hockey and Tim Horton's. Eh."

"O Canada, We've Got More Olympic Gold Medals Than the USA and Russia Put Together So There. Eh."

Ooooh – I hope I'm not beaten to death with made-in-China Anne of Green Gables dolls the next time I visit Prince Edward Island.

The Death Penalty

These two headlines were one above the other in a recent web news site: "Mother Dumped Newborn in Trash, Went to Party" and "Judge Declares Death Penalty Unconstitutional."

Swinging Singapore

Tom Taschinger of the Beaumont Enterprise, upon which The Times of London models itself, reports that Singapore still bans chewing gum. Tom finds this harsh, but, hey, it's not as bad as some geriatric hippie in a hula shirt playing a guitar in church because, like, 1968 was so, like, y'know, happenin'."

Spring Break – Saints Gone Wild

An Irish tourist board recently promoted ten ways to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day without going to a pub. Not one of the ten suggestions included attending Mass that day. The English tried for hundreds of years to suppress Ireland's ancient faith; left alone the Irish destroyed it themselves.

Kiss me – I'm not Irish.

Spring Break – Body Scanners Gone Wild

Jeremy Clarkson of The Times of London writes: "We now think it's normal to take off our clothes at an airport."

Spring Break – Amish Girls Gone Mild

How did Amish caps become an almost requisite accessory on the covers of romance novels? Lucinda no longer swoons passionately in the arms of the Byronic pirate / Indian / outlaw; she sits demurely on a wagon seat next to some fellow named Aminadab while sporting a white beanie with strings hanging down.

One can anticipate a Hallmark movie: Amish Spring Break – Girls Scrub Floors While Fully Dressed.

Lock-and-Load Voting

Iraq voted for parliamentary seats last week, and the Religion of Peace wasn't having it. Through bombings and shootings they murdered more people than show up to vote in some county elections in the USA. Alas that more Americans complain about the governance of the country than actually do something about it.

Where's a Sky Marshal When You Need One?

Last week an air-traffic controller at JFK, nee' Idyllwild, allowed his young son to radio instructions to pilots.

This is probably not permitted in advanced nations.

Rush Limbaugh's Bedroom

Rush Limbaugh is apparently selling his New York penthouse. A purported photograph of his bedroom shows a foo-foo space possibly modeled on Cleopatra's boudoir in the Elizabeth Taylor film, but subtly influenced by Elvis Presley's jungle room and the poetry section of the Austin Barnes and Nobles. And the low-prole ceiling paintings and Florida beach motel murals are to die. Not to die for. To die.

It just doesn't look very, um, Republican.