http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Thu, 20 Oct 2005 01:11:35 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/20/011135.php The Errant FoolThe stage had been set. We could feel it in the pits of our stomachs. With one strike to go in game 5, Albert Pujols breaks our hearts and our spirits with a three run bomb to force the National League Championship Series back to St. Louis. Oh, no, we think to ourselves, here it comes. Another post-season collapse, another season sputters and falls just short. Not this year, not this team. Showing same grit and determination that allowed the team to crawl out of a 15-30 hole to win the wild card, the Astros are headed for the Fall Classic.Over the last 15 years or so, the Bagwell-Biggio years, the Astros have not been known as a clutch team, if anything, they were known as a team to fold when the pressure of the playoffs was turned up. They also had the bad luck to get matched up with the Braves and their pitching during the heyday of Maddox, Smoltz, and Glavine. Tonight, however, they proved again, as they have done all season and through the postseason, that they can come up big when the chips are down. Craig Biggio 2 for 5, 1 run, 1 RBI Brad Ausmus 3 for 4, 1 run On a night when resident power producer Lance Berkman went 0 for 4, the veterans stepped up with key offensive production. Where the Astros of years past worked for the long ball, this team plays with a small ball mentality and tonight was no exception: hit and runs, bunts, a suicide squeeze; all the fine points, the dots on the "i".They could not play this way without dominant pitching and they got it from Roy Oswalt, who was dominating and earned the Most Valuable Player honor for the series. Roy Oswalt 7 innings pitched, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 6 strikeouts With an exceptional command of his fastball, Oswalt was able to keep the potent Cardinal hitters, particularly the lethal middle of the lineup, from doing any damage. David Eckstein 0 for 3 Jim Edmonds 0 for 3 Albert Pujols 0 for 4 Larry Walker 1 for 4 Reggie Sanders 0 for 3 An early at-bat between Oswalt and Pujols exemplifies the futility of the St. Louis batters: Oswalt sends Pujolz back to the bench with an inside fastball that cut the slugger out and sent him pinwheeling through the batters box. Pujolz, batting .304 for the series and hero of game 5, was helpless.The Cardinals were not helped by an abrupt loss of composure on the part of starter Mark Mulder who, in the third inning, let two hits unravel him to the tune of two runs. A solo home-run by Jason Lane in the next inning chased the former A's ace. It was all they would need, although they added another three runs for good measure.Now the Astros head to Chicago, underdogs again, and, for the first time this postseason, up against, arguably, a better pitching staff but they'll get their chance, and that's all a team can ask for. That's all Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell have labored for, for 33 years between them, for a city and a franchise that has struggled mightily for any success, let alone the highest level of acheivement.During the postgame press coverage, teammates were asked repeatedly about the original Killer B's: how does it feel for them? Are you glad for them? There were not two players playing that I wished for more to reach the World Series and they could not have done it in a fashion more in keeping with the way both men have played their entire careers: with grit, with determination, with fire. They ran out every hit, dove for every ground ball, and epitomized that great baseball epithet: playing the game the way it was meant to be played. Now they get to play in the World Series. Finally. Exhale, pump our fists, jump up and down, and get ready for Saturday in Chicago.[Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here.] Sports38216@blogcritics.org Thu, 20 Oct 2005 01:11:35 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/04/095503.php The Errant FoolMonday Night Football gets worse every year. Despite the best intentions of the schedulers, they have developed a knack for choosing the wrong games with the wrong teams at the wrong times. Last night was no different. The Packers are halfway down the slippery slope to the ineptitude of their 1980s years while the Panthers are trying valiantly to prove everyone who picked them for the Super Bowl dead wrong. I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for Jimmy Snuka.I usually watch the Monday night game at a sports-bar with a couple of friends of mine. On the large bank of TVs, the game was on the center, feature TV, while various other sports-type shows graced the surrounding, satelite screens. One of these screens is inevitably turned to wrestling. To be specific, the WWE product, Monday Night Raw.I watched wrestling in high school, "back in the day" as it were. Today's product is less wrestling than a mixture of bizarre soap opera and soft porn. Last night was some special event (I couldn't tell what exactly because the volume was muted). A bunch of the old-school wrestlers, the wrestlers of my youth, were in attendance. As they panned across the assembled squared-circle greats, we picked out "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiasi, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, and others. Here was Mean Gene. There was Jimmy Hart. Over in the back was Nicholai Volkoff. Who's that guy? My friend and I, we began to craft a sort-of fantasy, where the old-schoolers would rise up out of their chairs and take over the ring. But it was just a fantasy, wasn't it?No! It was real! ...Okay it wasn't real but it happened. There they were, the mighty assemblage of past stars in the ring for a ceremony (I guess - again, no volume) when some scrub decides to come into the ring and start some trouble. We held our collective breaths. The scrub says his piece. Then there's a pause. A long pause. A pause pregnant with anticipation.Then he's hit - first by Hacksaw, then by... somebody else, then Dusty Rhodes does his awful dance and gives him an elbow to the head. The scrub teeters, spins, stumbles, bumbles, and wheels drunkenly right into the Von Erich claw! Felled and flat on the mat from the impact of the famed claw attack, a very old, worn out Jimmy Snuka scrambles up to the top turnbuckle. He can't, he won't, it'll kill him... he does! The crowd goes wild!By crowd, I'm talking about the patrons of the sports bar. I can only assume how the patrons of the live event felt. There we were, grown men, for a few moments transported back to our youth, when these men, now old, out-of-shape, faded from prime, were monsters of the mat, when we believed the Von Erich claw might actually kill a man, when we wondered how anyone survived a top rope splash from the Superfly, when we thought the American Dream's dance added power to his punches.The moment passed. In the fourth quarter, Brett Favre made a game of the up-until-then one-sided contest. We returned to our drinks and to the comfortably droning commentary of Al Michaels. But that wasn't the night. The night belonged to Snuka and the other old men of the wrestling ring who stole the show one last time.[Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here] Sports37380@blogcritics.org Tue, 4 Oct 2005 09:55:03 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/22/155628.php The Errant FoolJohn Keel wrote a book in 1975 called The Mothman Prophecies, about sightings of strange creatures, UFOs, and mysterious characters in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, culminating in the collapse of the Ohio River-spanning Silver Bridge. In 2002, it was adapted into a film starring Richard Gere. The town of Point Pleasant itself has gotten into the act, hosting its 4th annual Mothman Festival. It's a celebration.What is the Mothman? According to most of the sightings, it is six to seven feet tall, humanoid, headless, with great glowing eyes in its chest, and a pair of massive wings. While at first glance, it doesn't have the cuddly appeal of Bigfoot or the serpentine grace of Nessie, Point Pleasant has been surprised at the success of embracing the local bogey.From The Herald-Dispatch: With a goal of jump-starting the town's economy, the festival was originally a way to capitalize on the "Mecca of history and genealogy," in the area, said Hilda Austin, executive director for the Mason County Area Chamber of Commerce.Now, people from as far as New York, Canada and even England came to the town this weekend with one thing in mind -- to learn about and maybe even catch a glimpse of the legendary Mothman and his "glowing red eyes," she said. The official website of the festival, Mothmanlives.com, has a good deal of information although the site itself is a bit hard on the eyes. You can also partake in Mothman marketing as well and pick up some monstrous merchandising including a book titled Mothman: Behind The Red Eyes. It sounds like an old Who lyric or the name of a VH1 special. They have T-shirts featuring re-imaginings of Mothman as a comic book creature. It looks like Mothman as Spiderman or Batman more than a once nightmarish interloper.If Point Pleasant has gained a good yearly source of income for their fortean troubles, in return they are declawing the creature their festival celebrates. What was a forbidding denizen of the dark is fast becoming a sought-after spectacle. Whether this will create renewed sightings of the saucer-eyed Mothman or send him sulking off into the otherworld is anyone's guess. Mothman lives, the website and festival say, but how long can it survive in captivity?[Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here.] ed/pub:NB Sci/Tech36590@blogcritics.org Thu, 22 Sep 2005 15:56:28 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/17/085734.php The Errant FoolThe "Thought Screen Helmet" prevents telepathic communications between aliens and humans. According to the website, it is a tested, proven device, that can be created from a mere $35 in materials. Scientific validity aside, it certainly is a fashion statement.According to the website, the helmet stops "several types" of aliens from probing the mind. As advanced a technology as this appears to be, the materials are decidedly low-tech: Cloth or plastic tape Hat or helmet 3M Velostat Who would have thought that preventing telepathy could be this easy!The homepage boasts a very enthusiastic customer recomendation: "Since trying Michael Menkin's Helmet, I have not been bothered by alien mind control. Now my thoughts are my own. I have achieved meaningful work and am contributing to society. My life is better than ever before. Thank you Michael for the work you are doing to save all humanity." There is also a "Case Histories" section with a wealth of information, including the only reported abduction of a human wearing the helmet, apparently by a "mantis-type" alien using a staring technique.The website also promises a that a video will be revealed of aliens that will definitively prove their existence. The video was shot, allegedy, by a lady who has been wearing the Thought Screen Helmet every moment of every day. There's no mention of what her social life is like.There is one fairly grainy alien photo on the site itself. According to the author, the large brain proves its mental prowess, and special note is made of its shiny, nutrient-absorbing skin. Of course, it may just be me, but it also looks like a reject from the Cantina scene in Star Wars. But I'm not wearing a Thought Screen Helmet so this could just be alien-domination speaking.If all of this isn't enough to convince you to buy out your local supply of Velostat, consider these words by the helmet creator, Michael Menkin: Since we are being invaded by an alien force from another world, we have a different kind of war. Our war with these beings is one of mind control, mind scan, and telepathic control....Until now, the creatures attacking us could do so at will: they could "switch off" people or render them powerless, manipulate people's thoughts and cause them to move against their will, project mental images to us, masquerade as a friendly or sexually attractive human, and scan our entire minds.The "thought screen helmet" is our only defense in a "telepathic war"... There you have it, straight from the horse's mouth. Of all the dangers, it is the penultimate threat he exposes that causes me the most distress: aliens masquerading as "sexually attractive humans." As if beer-goggling wasn't enough, now we've got mind-goggling!?! Now THAT is a problem. Get me some Velostat, stat![Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here.] Pub:NB Sci/Tech36292@blogcritics.org Sat, 17 Sep 2005 08:57:34 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/15/112514.php The Errant FoolAfter rescuers spent the night trying to free a southern right whale beached in South Africa, the government carried out their final solution: they blew it up. According to South Africa's Department of Tourism, explosives are recommended by the International Whaling Commission.As reported at Mirror.co.uk: Onlookers watched as explosives were strapped behind the 10-metre Southern Right whale's head and detonated, killing it instantly. Many of them shouted insults at police as the whale died. Among the onlookers were a number of children who were understandably horrified by the event. While I'll take it for granted that explosives were the best tool for the job, did they have to make a public spectacle of the affair? Or, if a spectacle it must be, than at least do it right - add some clowns, a bearded woman, and charge admission. Hopefully they at least cordoned off the crowd outside of the whale debris zone. Don't want any injuries sustained due to hot shooting blubber. In the words of Homer Simpson, "Won't anyone think about the children?"[Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here] Sci/Tech36221@blogcritics.org Thu, 15 Sep 2005 11:25:14 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/14/064941.php The Errant FoolAir Date: August 24, 2005This was the epitome of the quiet episode. There was not much going on this week for the TAPS gang except for the departure of embattled tech manager, Brian Hornois, on a self-imposed leave of absence.The first case was a theater where a spectral woman in a white dress had been seen in the seats and on the stage. There is absolutely nothing notable about this investigation. Devoid of both interesting storylines and evidence, it provided only the merest backdrop to some explanations of the equipment and method of the investigation.In between cases, we get our weekly installment of the Brian Hornois saga. This week, Brian acknowledges the issues that he's had in the past weeks and sits through the inevitable piling-on by Jason, and asks for some time off. Jason and Grant agree and Brian leaves, sans hand-shake or any sort of sympathetic goodbye. This segment had a cold, impersonal touch to it that made me wonder if it weren't somewhat staged (either before or after the actual event) for TV. Or maybe things have just degenerated that far? Who knows.The second case, although an interesting premise, is only marginally more interesting than the theater. The team investigates a firehouse. Stories abound amongst the firemen of spectral walkers. The team goes in and, noted several times by Grant and Jason, sets up and gets ready much more smoothly than during the Hornois era. I guess they don't miss him, yet. The only thing close to a paranormal experience had was the surround sound system turning itself on, twice. Unfortunately, there were no attendant phenomena to be had so the team was forced to write off the electronic gremlinism.In the end, for not the first week, it is the internal plot that is far more interesting than the investigations. Hornois is gone but not forgotten. In addition, the teaser for next week shows him coming back, meeting Grant and Jason at a softball park like some kind of low-level anonymous contact. I presume another surprise awaits. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to include ghosts.[Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here.] ed: JH Sci/Tech36112@blogcritics.org Wed, 14 Sep 2005 06:49:41 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/14/064232.php The Errant FoolAir Date: August 17, 2005A routine training exercise at President Andrew Johnson's family home in North Carolina turns into something more when the TAPS team gets a chance to investigate a retired battleship.First things first: I have no idea why they didn't just skip past the Mordecai House (17th president Andrew Johnson's home and birthplace) and go straight to the battleship segment. It was supposed to be a training exercise, until things went horribly wrong. If this were a film, that's what the ominous voice-over would tell us but, in reality, the only thing that went awry was the health of the TAPS gang (fortified by members of a sister group, Hauted North Carolina). With members dropping like flies to food poisoning or some other illness, they cut the investigation almost before it's begun. If any good footage or audio was captured during this sequence, they chose not to show it. Not a good beginning.Fortunately for everyone involved, the opportunity to investigate the battleship USS N. Carolina arises. This is where things get good. After hearing tales from the caretaker about spirits with flaming white hair, the gang spends the next two nights in the bowels of the old boat. Day one is slow. They set up their command center in the old mess hall and try to cover a section of the ship. Apart from some electro-magnetic anomalies and one of the exterior cameras bobbing up and down, the first night is as quiet as the grave.On the second night, while we don't get much evidence, we get some great television. Jason and Grant decide to investigate a section of the ship that has lain basically undisturbed since the '50s. As they're walking around, objects begin clattering around them. They think someone is pranking them and, increasingly frustrated, question the camera guy. He says he wasn't doing it. A door slams shut behind them. They think they hear voices. They see a shadow and give chase. It goes into a room - no other exits - they follow and find nothing. Spooky.This week, on Hornois Watch, Brian was completely persona non-grata. Apparently, for whatever reason, he did not make the trip down to the Carolinas. However, as if to make up for his absence this week, the saga made the preview for next week's episode: Brian, under fire, decides to take some time away from TAPS. We'll have to wait and see what happens. It can't be worst than a segment about TAPS members getting sick at Andrew Johnson's house.[Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here.] ed: JH Sci/Tech36113@blogcritics.org Wed, 14 Sep 2005 06:42:32 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/14/060136.php The Errant FoolAir Date: August 10, 2005They should have called this episode Ghost Hunters 2: Bayou Boogaloo. For the second time in three weeks, the TAPS gang heads to Louisiana.In our weekly installment of the Brian Hornois saga, Grant and Jason are complaining that Brian is spending too much time on the phone with his sweetheart. It's always something, isn't it guys?The first stop is a plantation house where a female spirit supposedly causes a fuss everytime the male homeowner brings over a "lady-friend". The house itself is spooky: it is old, full of creaking, uneven floorboards, long halls and wide windows. A Cajun child spirit was rumored to wander the upper floor so up Brian and Steve go.Downstairs, they try to stage a "lady-friend" event for the spirit but two different ladies can't seem to lure the spirit to any naughtiness. Upstairs, although thoroughly creeped out, Brian and Steve come up empty. The analysis of the data comes up with one interesting phenomenon: one of the doors downstairs opens and closes itself twice during the visit. A camera inside the room catches the door opening inwards and then closing. Light flooding in from the outside, aided by a mirror, show no signs of anything pushing the door open or afterwards pulling it closed. When they go back for the reveal, Jason and Grant try the door only to find it sturdy, well-hinged, and too heavy for wind to budge much. Weird.Next, the gang heads to the Big Easy where they are invited by Brennan's restaurant to investigate some supposedly haunted dining rooms. They get a good meal out of it and some Halloween-worthy folk tales but the investigation is a bust. There's a party upstairs with them that totally interrupts everything. At least they ate.Apart from the mysterious swinging door, this was another quiet episode. The door video is, however, pretty compelling, as the light and mirror clearly rule out anyone being immediately outside the door to open or close it. And it happens twice. Jason and Grant give the homeowner some advice: put your foot down. Make a stand. I say forget that, write a script. Call it A Ghost Named Desire. It'll be the feel-good hit of the season.[Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here.] Ed: JH Sci/Tech36114@blogcritics.org Wed, 14 Sep 2005 06:01:36 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/08/040213.php The Errant FoolAirdate: August 31, 2005I've said it before: half the fun of watching Ghosthunters is watching the interactions of the TAPS investigators amongst themselves. In this episode, that is all the fun, as the two cases - a lighthouse in Connecticut and a museum in New York City - offer very little in the way of thrills and chills.The lighthouse, we discover early, is the pet project of Andy, one of the debunkers. He runs the idea past Jason and Grant. With their seal of approval, he contacts the owners of the lighthouse and sets up the appointment.What ensues is another case of a dog's bark being much worse than its bite. The lighthouse looks creepy enough, built around the turn of the last century on a small rocky outcropping in the middle of the water. The caretaker tells a couple of close encounter scares, but the scariest occurrence that TAPS could find is the dodginess of the power. Luckily, the crew brought along a battery backup.In the end, Jason is angry at Andy for what Jason perceives as a lack of research into the worthiness of the lighthouse as a study subject. Both Jason and Grant had heard that the lighthouse was considered very haunted and gave the mission the go-ahead. I'm not certain why Jason changed his mind. It's not as though other cases have ever come up empty. Heck, it's not even the only time in this episode that a case comes up empty.The second case is inside a 150 year old brownstone, located in the heart of New York City, that has been preserved and transformed into the Merchant's House Museum. The house is a challenge because, as the museum curator is fond of pointing out, the ghosthunters mustn't touch anything.In a typical NYC moment, as the crew waits outside the museum with the equipment, a man tries to nonchalantly make off with one of the cases. After giving chase, the crew regains the equipment, but do not apprehend the would-be thief. That was the show's most exciting moment in weeks.In the brownstone itself, things get interesting, not because the investigation itself turns up anything (it doesn't), but because of a little friction that develops between Andy and Steve, the tech manager. Steve's feathers get ruffled when he is snubbed from the preparatory walkthrough in favor of Andy. He makes it known to Andy, causing the debunker to mysteriously develop a migraine headache. From that moment, the debunker goes gun-shy and refuses to do anything tech related without Steve's direct involvement, thereby frustrating Dustin, another of the tech crew. Unfortunately, headaches, grousing and attempted thievery are the extent of the excitement at the Merchant House.In a final segment and, I suppose, the final installment of the Brian Hornois saga, Jason and Grant go to talk to the wayward tech manager. They meet at a softball field, giving the meeting a clandestine air. Basically, Jason and Grant want to know if Brian is coming back to TAPS or leaving for good. Brian wants to work it out with his girl. It looks like he is gone. So long, Brian, we hardly knew you.About halfway through the sophomore season, there has been less paranormal activity than in earlier episodes - whether the cases are just weaker overall or whether the season's first half completely mined the lower echelons of the available material. We'll only find out in the coming weeks. Next week's promo, at least, appears promising: a report of spiritual activity that is spooking a young child. Let's hope that the root of the problem is a ghost and not the bickering of the ghosthunters.[Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here.] Sci/Tech35658@blogcritics.org Thu, 8 Sep 2005 04:02:13 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/06/072545.php The Errant FoolI've received several emails today that express concerns about the New Orleans refugee situation here in Houston. I can't say whether these things are true or simply rumor, but reading between the lines, there is a definite concern, not for the well-being of the displaced Louisianians, but for the well-being of the local Texans. Without speaking to the truth of the email contents, there does seem to be a current of social and racial distrust running through them. After all, the refugees are, for the most part, poor and African American (if not in truth then certainly in perception), and certainly desperate.THIS WAS SENT TO ME THIS MORNING...A guy I know spoke this morning to his friend that works at the police department and he told him something that he said you probably won't see on the news - which you will figure out why when reading. He informed him that everyone needs to be extremely careful right now and to tune in to what is really happening around you. He said that we need to remember that there are thousands of good people that are elderly, children and helpless being housed with people that are criminals and dope addicts going through withdrawals out of no choice. He said that there has already been a rape in the dome of a woman by two men and they are writing graffiti on the walls and some are going through withdrawals and have been violent to innocent people. He said that these people cannot be contained to the dome and some are desperate and that desperate people do things that they might not ordinarily do. He said to heighten your awareness and to put your intelligence ahead of your pity. He said to not drive with your doors unlocked because there has been some cases in Louisiana and one in Texas of carjacking. When you pump gas, lock the car doors till you get finished. Don't open your doors for solicitation. No one from Red Cross or a reliable organization will go door to door. Do not open your window to speak to people that are on the side of the road. Some might be from the disaster but some may just be taking advantage of the situation and you and you might be in danger to open your window. He said to do your donations to the Red Cross or other reliable source. He said that we need to remember that there are thousands of good people but they are being housed with the bad out of no choice. They need our help but not to try to go alone to do it for your own safety. Bring donations to the drop off locations or notify someone to pick it up. I passed this on, because I have been kinda in a trance from the disbelief of the magnitude of this. When he told me this, I just couldn't believe that people could hurt someone that was trying to help or someone that is in a bad situation the same as you. I thought why is he saying this. Those people are hurting; they surely wouldn't hurt others that are helping. But, after thinking about it, I realized that there are thousands of people with nothing and nothing to lose; they need help. This is sad but it is realistic. I just wanted to pass it on to you, because I just wanted you to be alert to what danger could be out there to you and your family which ordinarily might not be because of desperation. Please make your children and friends aware that their sadness for the situation could be taken advantage of. We need to all pray really hard right now.Like most emails, it began with a vague reference to a friend of a friend who is in the know. How true this is, in reality, is anyone's guess but the reference is suspect. No one is named and it is made explicit that the information will probably not make the news, hence it is essentially unverifiable in this form. This being said, the instructions are useful: who could argue against caution?FYI, we just heard from a policeman that there were some prisoners transported to the Astrodome and some have escaped and are at large in the area and some may come to the Galleria area. Wherever you are, be careful, and keep your car doors and windows locked and beware of anyone collecting donations on the street...This email, shorter, is clearly a variation on the first one (or vice versa.) Unlike the first, which labels the miscreants only as "people with nothing and nothing to lose", the second email claims that they are prisoners escaped from custody. Again, we really have no way to verify it. The email was forwarded to me at the end of a fairly long chain of forwards so who knows who, if anyone, actually spoke to a policeman about the incident.It is worth noting that, as far as I know, no incidents of the types described in the emails have occurred and been reported to the press. An article at the Houston Chronicle describes one Astrodome volunteer's experiences. He doesn't mention anything about violence or crime amongst the refugees:It was an amazing cross section of humanity...young, old, big, little, etc. Nearly all were black, and practically everyone appeared like they'd been through a war zone. Most seemed content with their lot at the moment; I saw no arguing or frustration...I think they were just glad to be inside and settled for a bit. About half were able to sleep amidst the chaos; the others were pretty quiet. Children were everywhere; I was amazed at their resilience...they seemed oblivious to the reality of things, and were just happy being kids...I think that it is important that we take whatever precautions are necessary to ensure our own safety.However, we should not give in to panic or jaded mistrust. It is all too easy to get caught up in the fervor - spread like a plague through anonymous emails, whispered half-true tales, and sensationalist media - we must remember that this situation that is merely an inconvenience for us is all that is left of the lives of countless New Orleans citizens. They are more than faceless villains of social-morality tales or helpless pawns to overwelming desperation and greed, they're people. Just like us.[Article cross-posted at The Errant Fool, here.]Ed/Pub:LM Culture35362@blogcritics.org Tue, 6 Sep 2005 07:25:45 EDT