tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81443753361169106522012-02-10T08:19:26.074-05:00Various and Sundry Musings on Stories and Life: a bold departure from the contemporary fear and loathing of narrative. A thoughtful Christian perspective on story-telling in literature, media, arts, and other places where people communicate.Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.comBlogger591100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-2726216569299687492011-07-28T12:10:00.003-04:002011-07-28T12:17:32.484-04:00

In an 2010 Atlantic article titled "How America Can Rise Again," James Fallows struck on a unique thing about the American mindset: We don't like to be 2nd place. Fallows notes, in a section called "The irrelevance of falling behind": In one important way, the jeremiads I have heard since childhood are not part of the great American tradition. Starting with Sputnik, when I was in grade school,

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-36938535033828298782010-09-12T16:22:00.002-04:002010-09-12T16:22:59.347-04:00

Some recent news about the "Cultural Literacies Across Media Course" I teach at Clemson University. Visit the CLAM SOUP blog to see the links to these articles, leave your comments and view work of students in the CLAM program. CLAM Soup (caah 201): CLAM Gets Noticed by The Chronicle of Higher Education: "Dr. Constancio Nakuma The July 22 Issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education featured

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-23338784938500508522010-05-15T10:05:00.000-04:002010-05-15T10:05:57.795-04:00

(this also appeared on my e-flaneur blog, but, hey... I'm miffed.) You may not believe this, but some idiots at ABC had a quirky new show with interesting characters and a sort of cult following. Then one day they decided to pull, without warning or hint aforehand, Eli Stone from the air. ("O, by the way, this show won't be on anymore. Buh-Bye.") The show was only on air a little while,

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-5629150737005784702010-02-04T23:36:00.001-05:002010-02-04T23:36:32.046-05:00

Sorry - couldn't resist... Jaron and The Long Road to Love   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-84285410554978192512009-09-11T12:33:00.001-04:002009-09-11T12:34:43.600-04:00

Food for thought - the following sample is an excerpt from an op-ed piece that appeared in the Belleville (NJ) Times on September 11, 2004: ---------- If I say “Ich bin ein New Yorker”, I don’t mean that I am a magazine with original prose and clever cartoons. I mean that “I am from New York, too.” But I’m not from New York. So, how can I say, “Ich bin ein New Yorker”? President Kennedy uttered

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-29545343606086404342009-09-09T19:43:00.000-04:002009-09-09T19:43:58.755-04:00

Today, NASA released the newest photos from the Hubble Telescope. You can find images like this sneak peek pic included here at their web site: http://www.hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2009/25/ I imagine your impression after seeing these pictures will be like mine - and many others - AWE of God's creation. Oh, I guess if you squint hard and hold your head cock-eye you might be

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-55843285344691927422009-09-02T22:46:00.000-04:002009-09-02T22:46:39.088-04:00

I have previously, on occasion, posted poetry - from the Metaphysical Poets (Donne, Herbert, Vaughan, etc.). I think the metaphysical poets rock! (TS Eliot thought so, too!) However, I was reminded of this Victorian era poem recently - from the Pre-Rapheaelite group, Christina Rossetti, to be specific. So, I share it here for your edification: <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-24346971786129986142009-08-27T22:33:00.001-04:002009-08-27T22:35:08.440-04:00

Rare is the person who is unaware of the passing of Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy. A long-time senator from a well-known family, and both an international political figure and a celebrity, "Teddy Kennedy" was among the most recognizable names in the world. But a strange thing happened the day after his death. Kennedy's name was Google's top search term the day after his death, but Mary Jo

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-15258012086127511682009-08-20T23:16:00.004-04:002009-08-20T23:55:26.074-04:00

“In passing, we should note this curious mark of our own age: the only absolute allowed is the absolute insistence that there is no absolute.” Francis SchaefferI just had to post this link to the weirdest audio experience that is almost as weird as real life...(It's like a metaphysically Christian David Lynch movie for your ears.)No comments from me... yet. I'll post when I hear from you.The

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-64184103798197256322009-08-10T10:56:00.007-04:002009-08-10T13:53:49.221-04:00

I remember reading these instructions (Lather. Rinse. Repeat.) on a bottle of shampoo when I was very young. I wonder - just how dirty did they think my hair was? I have a suspicion that the instructions were meant less for my benefit and more for their benefit. Think about it - if I followed their instructions, I would use twice as much shampoo - meaning - cha-ching - more money for the shampoo

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-89855402050187548792009-07-06T10:19:00.003-04:002009-07-06T14:23:22.010-04:00

1 picture = 1000 words?

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-89283516181333822822009-06-23T18:37:00.004-04:002009-06-23T18:44:25.336-04:00

The Father's day Message at 5 Point Fellowship in Easley, SC - click here to view the message.If you are flabbergasted by what I said, wait til you hear what I trimmed from the message! (In upcoming blogs, I'll post the notes that didn't make the cut.)But for now, enjoy this message.Tonight's Episode: Show & Tellwith guest star, Abe VigodaIN COLOR!

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-3288755175719697202009-06-13T19:03:00.005-04:002009-06-13T19:28:22.786-04:00

The Digital Transition happened across the nation last week. I got lots of random thoughts on the issue, but there are two particularly interesting items I will mention here.1. In NEW ORLEANS nearly 96% of the televisions were totally or partially ready for digital TV. Only 4.35% of New Orleans TVs were unprepared for the transition.New Orleans was more prepared for DTV than are Los Angeles,

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-43562449180970735452009-06-04T13:38:00.018-04:002009-06-07T22:58:18.481-04:00

Lewis Grizzard might have put it this way: "David Carradine is dead, and I don't feel so good myself." (For the sad news, see: Actor David Carradine found dead in Bangkok - Movies - The State)I don't know much about David Carradine, other than what I've learned from the recent spate of news articles that discuss his film and television career, and his long struggle with suicidal thoughts. And,

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-21409582728950163142009-06-01T12:51:00.006-04:002009-06-01T13:57:38.027-04:00

OK, so it seems that we have just made a major purchase. I know, I know, we can hardly afford it. But that new car smell was so irresistible... we bought the whole company. Taxpayers are now about 50 Billion into General Motors - owning as much as 60% of the company when all is said and done.Here's a question that comes to mind. Will I now feel compelled to buy a Chevy? Even if I had previously

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-91954527727155843622009-05-24T23:47:00.007-04:002009-05-25T00:21:54.640-04:00

Bad News:Kiefer Sutherland was recently arrested for allegedly head-butting a fashion designer after a party at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Good News:The designer gave up the secret location of Joe Biden's Vice-Presidential bunker.Interesting how news of celebrity mishaps garner so many readers. We seem to delight in watching others make major goof-ups. Seems like we all have a little

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-8956814667820585332009-05-19T21:27:00.009-04:002009-05-19T22:19:58.376-04:00

You almost know the whole thing by heart, don't you?"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."Chong-Chong.The Associated Press reported that NBC is renewing Law & Order for a 20th season. That would would make the

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-1948781378627415382009-05-15T05:50:00.004-04:002009-05-15T06:04:00.298-04:00

If you are like me - you may sometimes feel exhausted by the continual yammering to innovate. Seems all we hear is a constant yammering to move ahead, do something new, be different. And sometimes, we just want to admit - Progress is overrated."Because we can" is not good enough reason. Look where that got us: the Hummer, Congress, the Sham-Wow, Disco, drivers with cellphones, and steroids in

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-39225807485991779262009-05-12T10:27:00.009-04:002009-05-12T13:18:41.166-04:00

When this old world starts to gettin' me down, and people are just too much for me to take...I've heard some interesting quips over the years about "getting away." One of my favorites is:If don't "come apart" from the crowds, you'll "come apart" at the seams.My "up on the roof" was my back deck, early morning at sunrise. Sneaking away to this spot with my Bible and a cup of coffee was a great way

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-21705065161721274442009-05-11T19:52:00.004-04:002009-05-11T20:26:10.103-04:00

Our pastor recently preached on "doing good." In one message, he framed it this way:1. Remember what we were (apart from God),2. Remember what we have become (reconciled by the grace of god) and3. Remember what we are here for - to do good works.It is helpful to remember that, in this equation, no amount of "good works" can take us from point one to point two. That is to say, we can't toss on a

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-30337360414880089222008-10-08T07:25:00.002-04:002008-10-08T07:30:30.464-04:00

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-91073674789462652062008-09-14T08:05:00.010-04:002008-09-17T06:56:44.990-04:00

"SARAH PALIN WANTS TO BURN YOUR BOOKS!!!!!!"Now, if you are a sensible person, and if you saw this as a subject line of an email in your inbox, you may be likely to delete without reading. I mean, after all, you have know that the guy in Nigeria doesn't REALLY have millions of dollars for you, and that Bill Gates will NOT send you meony for forwarding an email to ten of your friends. So, if you

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-57640238558408722032008-09-06T09:22:00.002-04:002008-09-06T10:00:24.129-04:00

First, read this entry on my "Rhetoric Soup" blog: Mom, Make Mac Stop Making Fun of Me!(Yes, I have blogs for Rhetorics and for Virtual Worlds - but they may be intensely boring to you.)And so, as I prophesied, the Seinfeld commercial has come about:So? Where's the beef? You might have noted that there is no particular product mentioned. Microsoft is not selling a product in this ad. Microsoft is

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-66128979352881933092008-09-01T21:19:00.004-04:002008-09-01T22:53:44.752-04:00

This weekend, a friend of mine invited me to join him to watch his kids play. That may sound like a strange request, but it's not the first time he's invited me - or that I've joined him to do so. In fact, thousands of people come to see his kids play in cities across the nation.I should mention that his kids are all grown up, and that two of them are in the band, Need To Breathe. You have very

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-9734580375882195482008-08-13T21:56:00.005-04:002008-08-13T23:42:19.752-04:00

A seven-year-old girl was good enough to sing during the Olympics, but not cute enought to be seen. Seems that the Chinese wanted to put their best face forward in the Olympics, but their actions left a less-than-beautiful impression. TheWeekDaily.com summed up the stink this way: Chinese officials acknowledged that 9-year-old Lin Miaoke, the girl who sang “Ode to the Motherland” at the opening

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-59825381925822710312008-08-08T22:33:00.008-04:002008-08-08T23:31:01.231-04:00

OK, so it's settled - Brett Favre is heading to the NY Jets. Chad Pennington has been released.You know what that means?It means that Sonny Jurgenson is now the backup QB! Ha Ha! (Terry Bradshaw and Kenny Stabler are competing for the third spot as signal-caller. LOL!)If you are not an avid football fan, you may not appreciate the references I've made in the above statements, so go ahead - search

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-75178828595088970762008-08-05T22:37:00.008-04:002008-08-05T23:24:31.265-04:00

(Nick is just returning from vacation to resume his nearly regular postings.)The L.A. City Council last week unanimously approved an ordinance banning new fast food restaurants from opening in poor neighborhoods in South and Southeast Los Angeles. So it seems that the poor in South Central must be told what to eat, while the rich in Beverly Hills can eat whatever they darn well please. What's the

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-1666376787493668602008-07-25T08:00:00.005-04:002008-07-25T08:21:49.474-04:00

A piece of Visual Rhetoric can cut both ways:The Associated Press was one of the many news organizations that reported favorably on the visit of Senator Barak Obama to Germany.The story " began:BERLIN (AP) - Barack Obama's speech to a huge Berlin crowd sent a "positive signal" to Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said Friday, praising the presidential candidate's focus on

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-49572233655210551912008-07-22T21:32:00.003-04:002008-07-22T22:30:48.831-04:00

Psych returned last Friday on USA network. If you haven't seen it, Psych is a comedy/crime show full of 1980's references. (The main characters, Shawn and Gus, grew up in the 80's and it shows in their pop culture banter.) There is a clever commercial for the show that features the characters doing a spoof on the 80's hit "Ebony & Ivory" a la Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney.I thought the

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-55469582707610976242008-07-16T20:46:00.006-04:002008-07-16T21:44:39.776-04:00

USA has a motto: Characters Welcome. The network has risen to prominence with upbeat shows featuring quirky characters like those in Monk, Psych, Burn Notice and In Plain Sight. The characters are not "realistic" in the (post)modern, "gritty/ugly" sense of the word. They are, in fact, quite "unreal." (Some may say that they are "super-real," because they illustrate realness in a disproportionate

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-71116426014179865462008-07-14T21:31:00.002-04:002008-07-14T22:19:22.843-04:00

Miss America took a spill.Again.This time it was at the Miss Universe pageant in Vietnam. Crystle Stewart explained that there were beads on the bottom of her gown and when she stepped on the beads, she was off to the races. If by off the the races, you mean like in NASCAR when one drive puts another driver into the wall... BAM!She seemed to have a good attitude about it. And if falling down on

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-23845790207338879232008-07-13T19:17:00.002-04:002008-07-13T19:25:13.933-04:00

Enjoy (and ponder) this little poem for children:On the Cackling of a Henby John BunyanThe hen, so soon as she an egg doth lay,(Spreads the fame of her doing what she may.)About the yard she cackling now doth go,To tell what 'twas she at her nest did do.Just thus it is with some professing men,If they do ought that good is, like our henThey can but cackle on't where e'er they go,What their

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-11331128735393584842008-07-10T21:53:00.006-04:002008-07-10T22:39:46.307-04:00

Each year around the 4th of July, Time magazine does a special issue they call "The Making of America" issue. This year, the issue focused on my man, Mark Twain. I say "my man," because, as many of you know, I spent some time reading and studying on Mr. Clemens in my Grad Lit Studies at Rutgers and in a NEH study at Twain's House in Hartford, Connecticut. Let me share a couple of provocations

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-88375697353370221132008-07-09T22:54:00.006-04:002008-07-09T23:33:18.533-04:00

Yeah, we have lots of important issues to consider in the upcoming election: gas prices, the cost of oil, the expense of driving our cars, how much it hurts when we go to the fuel pump, how hard it is to make ends meet when it costs so much just to drive to and from work, etc.Lots of different issues... oh, and the price of unleaded and diesel might fit in that list, too.Funny how pain can

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-72353574420978456482008-07-07T22:39:00.006-04:002008-07-08T15:05:54.582-04:00

Yes, I saw it.Yes, I'm glad I did.Yes, I'd go see another sequel.Yes, Indy has changed. He's (gasp) older.So am I.So what?A few years ago, my oldest daughter and I went to see Doc Watson perform at the Lincoln Center in New York City. (For the unitiated, Doc Watson is the Tiger Woods/Babe Ruth/Richard Petty/Muhammed Ali/Elvis Pressley of flat-picking guitarists.) Doc performed with another,

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-52550983884467148372008-07-03T13:53:00.003-04:002008-07-03T14:39:53.980-04:00

Just in time to celebrate its 30th anniversary, the book, Mommie Dearest, is being re-released with new gory details about the less-than-stellar mothering talents of Joan Crawford. Told from the perspective of the mistreated daughter, Christina Crawford, the book was a controversial best-seller, and the movie it inspired became a cult/camp classic. The book and movie was carried along to success

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-738855357047344692008-06-30T07:06:00.006-04:002008-07-03T13:53:05.346-04:00

Oh, the problems with signs in South Carolina! (Not that I'm complaining, since I lived in northeast New jersey where there are only two kinds of signs: confusing and missing.) First, read this AP news story about new signs in our state capital:Out-of-state crews post SC signs in wrong placesJun 29,2008 - COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - While out-of-town for business, it always helps to ask the locals for

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-51923220130988210082008-06-29T12:11:00.002-04:002008-06-29T12:18:47.794-04:00

(One of my favorites from the 17th-century metaphysical poet - and "country parson." Note the personification of "Love" - and the reckless abandon shown to "me" in the invitation.)Love (III)by George HerbertLove bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,Guilty of dust and sin.But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slackFrom my first entrance in,Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioningIf I lack'd

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-81210098884050897382008-06-27T17:01:00.002-04:002008-06-27T17:05:46.242-04:00

OK - Granted, it IS summer. You should be taking it easy.And - Granted, it WAS a long blog. You may need some extra time to read it all.And - Granted, it was pretty heavy stuff. You may need more time to digest it.So... I'm giving you an extra day to read, reflect on and respond to yesterday's post before I post new material.(I am such a nice guy.)So, do it now!I'll post a poem before the Lord's

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-92197178314114672892008-06-26T07:40:00.006-04:002008-06-26T08:52:44.464-04:00

(A very special Wednesday and Thursday combined blog…)Yesterday, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that prohibited Louisiana from administering the death penalty to persons convicted of raping children. The decision contains some comments that serve as a reminder of a dangerous presupposition.This blog entry is NOT about the death penalty.This blog entry is NOT about child rapists.This

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-46864760990446931062008-06-24T19:50:00.007-04:002008-06-24T20:35:36.783-04:00

The headlines read, "Angry Kids Protest Gas Prices After Losing Cable TV."The Salt Lake City Tribune's story read, in part:Sadie and Pyper Vance have had just about enough of high gas prices. The sisters are still years away from being old enough to drive, but that doesn't mean the $4 per gallon price tag isn't hitting them as hard as anyone else.Cable TV was one of the family's budget-cutting

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-75744676908403154462008-06-23T23:17:00.008-04:002008-06-23T23:54:03.544-04:00

Ever since the guys at ESPN (from Massachusetts or Rhode Island or somewhere) started mentioning the Tigers in their reports, people from the Clemson area have been mocking them. The commentators from up north pronounce Clemson without a "p," like "clemzun." Ha ha ha. Funny northerners! Everyone around here pronounces it correctly - "Clempsun."I had someone recently point out to me that Clemson

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-82746223534334482372008-06-21T21:42:00.003-04:002008-06-21T21:44:42.813-04:00

From Divine Poemsby Richard Crashaw (1646)"On the Sepulchre of our Lord. "HERE, where our Lord once laid his Head,Now the grave lies buried.

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-3086833305881317602008-06-20T19:37:00.004-04:002008-06-20T20:14:57.281-04:00

I don't know where I expected it to fit into AFI's list. It's not exactly a western, or an epic, or a mystery. But, like the movie on which I commented yesterday, it stars Humphrey Bogart. It is a really good movie. It is called The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.In this movie, the object of the pursuit is no McGuffin. It is a very well-known quantity: GOLD. And in this movie, the two protagonists,

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-46544925416892962822008-06-20T10:24:00.004-04:002008-06-20T11:26:25.070-04:00

(Thursday's Post - due the interruptions in the time-space continuum and world time zone considerations)Among AFI's Top Ten Mysteries (Yes, I'm still on that...) were a few of my favorites: Dial M for Murder, North by Northwest, The Third Man, and The Maltese Falcon. I loved the way that the title object and object of pursuit is nothing that we would recognize as valuable. If we were to see the

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-27429447313637722932008-06-18T20:19:00.004-04:002008-06-18T20:57:06.765-04:00

OK - back to the AFI so-called "Top Ten" Westerns.A couple of ridiculous picks stand out: Cat Ballou? Cat Ballou? You gotta be kidding me. If you're including only one cowboy comedy, It's gotta be Blazing Saddles!And McCabe and Mrs. Miller? Isn't that the Ishtar of Westerns? If you gotta do a cathouse movie, go with Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda's Cheyenne Social Club, for crying out loud!(I

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-64569039773284750232008-06-17T22:27:00.006-04:002008-06-18T16:37:05.607-04:00

OK - tonight AFI aired a show called the 10 Top 10. I got issues with a number of the "top ten" lists, but let me start by commenting on the sci-fi category.Sure, 2001 was the (yawn) obligatory number one. (Just like Citizen Kane is the perennial number one movie on most lists - with the exception that Citizen Kane is actually good enough to justify its position.) And I can't argue with the

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-18352983395275026882008-06-16T17:54:00.005-04:002008-06-16T18:39:12.121-04:00

A few years ago, I visited the "Spy Museum" in Washington, DC. I was struck by the fact that, in the history of spying, one of the first large exhibits was devoted to the Hebrew spies who ran recon prior to the invasion of Jericho. You know, the Bible story? These "bible heroes" went to a place where hookers hung out, enlisted the help of a call-girl, had her lie to the authorities while they hid

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-12175044610791910602008-06-15T00:18:00.000-04:002008-06-15T00:44:28.410-04:00

I recently "reheard" a joke about a guy who went on vacation, leaving his brother to watch over his things while he was traveling abroad. After a week, the guy calls home to check on things. He asks the brother, "So, How's my cat?" The brother replies, "Oh, your cat is dead, dude."The guy was incensed. "Oh my gosh, you are so cruel! You should never be so blunt! You should have said something

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-5702820569210924372008-06-13T13:11:00.001-04:002008-06-13T13:50:46.743-04:00

Last night the Celtics won Game 4 of the NBA Championship. So What? I'll tell you what... They won the game after being down 24 points. That's what!I could write here about something obvious, like overcoming adversity, or never giving up, or teamwork... OK, may the teamwork angle will work.The ESPN.com headline read "Game 4 Not the Finest Hour for No. 24" - a reference to Kobe Bryant, the star

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Life is like a joy-ride. Like a joy-ride where your car might break down in unfamiliar country. It’s sometimes an adventure, but it’s a joyride.Like a joy-ride where you have to walk a few miles to the nearest service station. It’s sometimes an effort, but it’s a joyride.Like a joy-ride where the kids in the back seat won’t quit touching, hitting or pinching each other. It’s sometimes

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-33339236621617598362008-06-11T23:09:00.000-04:002008-06-11T23:25:01.137-04:00

The blogging thing didn't work too well for me on my first attempt.Not that I didn't write some brilliant, awe-inspiring stuff. (I did.)It's just that I always waited until I had something that I was convinced was brilliant and awe-inspiring. In other words, I did not post with regularity. (No? Duh.)So, I am recommencing. I will try to be regular in posting. I will deny the little Adrian Monk who

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-38404564339918328162008-03-12T23:51:00.000-04:002008-03-13T00:00:18.092-04:00

“I know you. You’re Norma Desmond.You used to be in pictures – you were big.”“I AM big! It’s the pictures that got small.”Welcome to Norma Desmond’s world. The character from the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard (and the Broadway play by the same name) is an aging silent film star who has been left behind by the new “fad” of talking pictures. The grounds of her huge estate are overgrown, her

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On April 15, 1846, the Reed and Donner families left Illinois heading west for new lands and brighter horizons! They had heard of a wonderful land of promise called California and had joined our nation’s great Westward Expansion! (And they weren’t even running to replace Arnold as governor!) They joined other groups heading west, including experienced travelers who had traveled this

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A Beautiful Mind... is a Terrible Thing to Waste“At the present time I seem to be thinking rationally again…. However, this is not entirely a matter of joy …” John NashMost people know him as the character played by Russell Crowe in the movie, “A Beautiful Mind”. He is John Nash, Nobel Prize winner, former Ivy League professor, brilliant mathematician, and a former resident of the New Jersey

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-42176482443773993082008-01-14T23:55:00.000-05:002008-01-27T13:22:07.743-05:00

Where do you look when you pray? I mean, if you don't close your eyes? Or if you're not part of a religion that uses statues or icons or physical god-representations? What if you're a metaphysical Christian? Where do you look when you pray?When I was a boy of about 8 or 9 years old, I visited church with my cousin's family. Attending church was, in itself, a curiosity, as church-going was not

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You've heard them over and over, statements like "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words," "Actions Speak Louder Than Words," and many similar maxims. But are they simply tired cliches? Or is there some truth in there? View the YouTube video below and then read on.The words say one thing, while the images say quite another. The words are from Robert Frost's serene, pastoral poem of winter beauty -

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Since College Bowl Season (and NFL Playoffs) are upon us, I'm gonna share a football-related article that I wrote for the Belleville Times awhile back. Be patient - as soon as the Football season ends, I'll crank out some fresh stuff! So here is my take on "Wrong Way Farkas"There’s an old saying: “Direction is more Important than Distance.” Every golfer with a tendency to hook or slice off the

Randy D Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173976396074291405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144375336116910652.post-73844374826044888542007-12-30T20:38:00.000-05:002008-01-27T13:27:06.450-05:00

Let me start with some musings about a movie I saw a couple Christmases back...RD Nichols------------Stranger than Fiction?“Little did he know…”Harold Crick is a fictional character whose life is completely out of his control. His life is, of course, in complete control of the author of the book in which he appears. When he learns this, interesting complications arise – and so goes the set-up for

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