Banshee Blog

It's been a while since Banshee posted here. Perhaps I'll reflect on thoughts here while she's away.

A lot of worries have crept up into my life these past few weeks. Doubt and worry are sneaky little monsters. I worry about my current job and I also have a lot of worries about my parents' job. So much seems outside of my control.

What if I'm not doing what I'm meant to be doing.
What if I just can't get where I need to get going, wherever that may be.
Worse yet, what if I don't figure out where that is until, for some reason, it's too late.
What if.....

Last Sunday, the sermon was about "Ebenezer", which means "Stone of Help".
In 1st Samuel, the Israelites at one point were having a tough time against the Philistines. Finally, as Samuel called on God for help, the Israelites beat the Philistines, and in commemoration, he marked the place with an "Ebenezer", a stone of help, saying, "Thus far has the Lord helped us."

Sometimes, when the future seems real unclear because I see it only through the dark lens of doubt and worry, I should look to the past. I can see how God has helped me and those around me. The truth is that Faith is hard work, but worry is only a scarecrow.

"Thus far, God has helped us."

"Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster." Quentin Crisp

"Most of all, I gotta thank God for waking me up this morning to accept this award. .... This ain't gonna be the last one. We just getting started disturbing the peace." Ludicrous' acceptance speech after winning "Best Rap Video" at 2005 VMAs.

"If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time." Edith Wharton

I gotta start this update with a big thank you to TIVO. In my past life, I would have had to choose between hanging out with friends and watching the night race from Bristol. In my new life, I can start watching the race whenever I get home. What a wonderful era in which to live!

Last night's race was the Sharpie 500 from the Bristol Motor Speedway. This race is the toughest ticket on the entire circuit despite the fact that the grandstands now hold over 160,000. Why is this such a good race? Well, partly it's because it's under the lights. But, whenever you jam 43 cars onto a half-mile, high banked oval, you're bound to have a lot of paint-swapping action. This year's installment from Thunder Valley was no exception.

Bristol always plays a major role in the championship picture, but this year it is even more important than it was in the past because there are only two more races after this before the Chase for the Championship begins. That means that the scramble is on to climb into the top ten. Matt Kenseth stepped up on the big stage and made an aggressive move up the standings. Kenseth won the race and moved from 15th to 11th in the standings. Kenseth is now only 11 points out of the tenth position. The man Kenseth trails is Jeff Gordon. Gordon's sixth place finish allowed him to vault into the final qualifying position. Dale Jarrett was the big loser on the night. Jarrett was right on the cusp of the Chase when the night began, but he allowed his emotions to get the best of him in Thunder Valley. Jarrett attempted to get some payback on Ryan Newman for an earlier incident. However, Jarrett wrecked himself in the process and dropped himself to fourteenth in the standings. And, that faint pulse you hear is coming from inside the Budweiser Chevrolet. Junior was the "lucky dog" three times in the early laps, but he was able to claw his way to a ninth place finish. But, that only allowed him to move up to fifteenth in the standings, and he his still over 100 points out of tenth place.

Next week, there is an evening race from Fontana, CA. It's not a Saturday race, though. The race will air on NBC at 8 p.m. on Sunday night.

It has come to my attention that there have been some technical difficulties with the polls on this site. I tried to get this problem fixed on Thursday night, but it took me until now to get things reorganized. I'm still using the same polling tool, but I got a new membership. Hopefully things will be working better from now on.

Polling results: Last week's poll asked if Banshee Blog readers supported a flag burning amendment to the constitution. 22% of voters said that they were not sure. Only 11% of voters said that they were in favor of an amemendment banning flag burning. A strong 66% said that they were opposed to a flag burning amendment.

New Poll: A realize that it's still August, but football college season starts next week. So, as far as this blog is concerned, that signals the start of fall. September and October are perhaps the best sports months of the whole year. This week, Banshee Blog wants to know: Which fall sport has you most excited?

"[T]he feminist movement has gone so far in promoting professional women over homemakers that, in our society, you practically have to be Mei Xiang, the National Zoo’s mama panda, to get any respect for being a good mother." Charlotte Hays, IWF

I did receive an Ask Banshee question in time for this week. It's a good question that I look forward to answering, but I decided to take a little break this week. Please check back next Wednesday.

"Jealousy is the art of injuring ourselves more than others." Alexandre Dumas

Last night, I had the great privilege of spending some quality time with a childhood friend. Play-doh. Play-doh can teach a kid lot of things. Hand-eye coordination when using the molds. Creativity when going free form. And discipline in keeping the colors from all bleeding into a yucky gray. Of course, there are a few drawbacks. There is the horrible, horrible taste and the lingering smell on your hands. But overrall, even for adults, Play-doh fun and soothing. It's like a squishy stress-reliever ball that you can also form into a plate of spaghetti or the letters of your name.

"He removes the greatest ornament of friendship, who takes away from it respect." Cicero

Over the weekend, the DVD of Girl with a Pearl Earring. This movie can best be described by one word: Hmmmm. Despite the fact that really nothing happens during the film, I was still confused about the end.

The movie is about a young maid who works in the home of Johannes Vermeer during the time when he was painting his most famous work. Despite my earlier comments, I don't mean to say that this movie is boring. The film is asthetically pleasing, and the acting is tremendous. Griet, the maid, is played by Scarlett Johansson. And Vermeer is played by Colin Firth. In 2003, this film was nominated for 3 Oscars. The movie's plot is sufficient to allow these actors to play out their characters development in interesting costumes and pretty lighting.

If you require a lot of fire or a lot of funny in a movie, then Girl with a Pearl Earring is not for you. But, if you're in the mood for a period piece, this is worth renting.

"Worry is a misuse of imagination." Dan Zadra

This week, NASCAR took the track in the Motor City to run 400 miles at Michigan International Speedway. This two-mile track is wide and fast. There is plenty of room for passing in the turns and on the straightaways. Like most Michigan races, the action this afternoon was entertaining. But, as is often the case at Michigan, the race was actually decided by fuel mileage.

For most of the day, the usual suspects battled for the lead. But, the top contenders throughout the day came up short in the fuel game and had to pit with under ten laps remaining. This allowed Jeremy Mayfield to come out of nowhere and win the race. This win solidified Mayfield's place in the Chase. It moved Mayfield from seventh to sixth in the standings. Scott Riggs came in second on Sunday and Matt Kenseth came in third. Carl Edwards finished fourth. This strong finish moved the young Edwards out of the tenuous tenth position and into ninth in the standings. Tony Stewart rounded out the top five. This was good enough for Smoke to keep his spot at the top of the championship standings.

Next week, NASCAR returns to Thunder Valley for the night race at Bristol. This is possibly the hottest ticket of the entire season. The race can be seen on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on TNT.

Poll Results: The subject of the poll was snack food. Banshee Blog asked readers which foods tempt them the most. Sweet treats or salty snacks? 55% of voters said that they prefer sweet treats. 44% voted for salty snacks.

New Poll: Polling topics have been pretty frivolous the last few weeks. This week, Banshee Blog turns to something a little more substantive. The question for this poll actually came from a comment left by a reader. Banshee Blog wants to know: Do you support a flag burning amendment?

"In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity." Richard Baxter

There's nothing quite like driving at 60 miles an hour in the Virgina sunshine with two windows down on a 90 degree day and Aerosmith playing loud enough to vibrate the mirrors in your car.

#1 Polling. Voting is very slow on this week's poll. The topic of this poll is your personal snacking preferences. Everyone has a an opinion to voice on this.

#2 Ask Banshee. The "Ask Banshee" question resevoir has run dry. So, if you've got any questions at all, please send them before Wednesday.

"A short stubby pencil is better than a long sharp memory." Cary Payne

“I am really enjoying it. I mean, I understand why they pay you to do it, but for a job it’s actually pretty fun.” Julie Hawk on her first job after college.

Apparently, there is talk once again about adding a flag-burning amendment to the United States Constitution. I am kind of lukewarm about the issue. I have great reverence for the flag. I'm not sure that I could be trusted to refrain from assaulting someone that burned a flag in front of me. But, amendments to the Constitution are a serious and difficult thing. I am not sure that banning flag-burning is worth that effort.

In its July 30, 2005 issue, World Magazine ran an interesting column on the flag-burning issue. The piece was written by correspondent Janie B. Cheaney. Cheaney is clearly a patriotic individual. She is also an outspoken Christian. She presents an interesting argument that Christians should respect what the flag represents but not necessarily support a flag-burning amendment. This short article is well worth reading.

“Anger is our basic protest against the fact that we are not God and that we cannot control reality.” Drs. Cloud and Townsend

(Quote supplied by Mimi)

Yesterday, the Mascot Hall of Fame opened its doors in Philadelphia. The opening ceremonies included the induction of the first three members. To be eligible, a mascot must have been in existence for at least 10 years, have had a major impact on its sport, industry and community. In addition, the mascot must have a performance that is consistently memorable and groundbreaking.

The first inductee class included three members. They were ... (drum roll, please) ... The Philadelphia Phillies' Phanatic, the San Diego Padres' Chicken and the Phoenix Suns' Gorilla.



These three were chosen from fourteen finalists. The list of finalists included Micky Mouse, Ronald McDonald and Rocky of the Denver Nuggets. Based on the criteria that are outlined by the Hall of Fame, I suppose the three inductees are as good as any. Tony Kornheiser of PTI summed up the quality of this inaugural class when he said, "We're not talking about the first class at Cooperstown. We're talking about three guys that dress up as birds."

Jack McKeon, current manager of the Florida Marlins, worked in the Padres front office when the Chicken was born. He was less than enthused about the Chicken's induction. McKeon said, "We win the pennant, and they want to make the Chicken bigger than the team. Our marketing people think he's putting people in the seats. Marketing people thought he was the reason we were putting people in the ballpark. Once you see him 10 or 12 times, come on." McKeon went on to say, "Fans liked him. The Chicken is all right. Do your act, and get the hell off the field."

The Banshee is kind of torn on the whole Mascot Hall of Fame. On one hand, it's a weird spectacle, and I am generally in favor of that. On the other hand, I despise mascots that act like they are bigger than the game. When I think of great mascots, I think of college football where the mascots represent tradition and not tomfoolery. The Nittany Lion, who always finishes high on ESPN polls, is a good mascot because he doesn't distract from the game and he does push-ups for each point scored (which, admittedly hasn't been very often in the past few years). Same deal with Notre Dame's Leprachaun. The Sooner Schooner is pretty cool, and the Colorado Buffalo is just fantastic. Unfortunately, that Buffalo will never make it into the Hall because a real, live bison can't really participate in corporate events out in Boulder.

Dear Wild Banshee,

I just moved into my very own apartment for the first time. I know you are an expert in this area. Any advice for a first timer like myself?

Big Girl

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Big Girl,

Yeah, I am kind of an expert in this area. I'm starting into my fourth year of solo apartment living. My current apartment is the third different apartment during that stretch. So, even though I'm sort of a nester by nature, I am developing some expertise in this area. I have three tips for you.

#1 Make friends. You may be a person who enjoys some quality solitude. The Banshee herself doesn't have a problem with alone time, what with sports to watch and this blog and all. But, there are a lot of hours in the day. Particularly in the Saturdays and Sundays. Dorm life and home life automatically provide some human contact. That automatic contact disappears when you move into your own place. It's important to have someone to hang out with once in a while. Human contact is good for the soul.

#2 Entertainment. This tip is based on the same principle as the first tip. There are a lot of hours in the day. Even if you've got tons of friends, you're gonna have some long stretches of alone time. So, make sure you've got some fun ways to entertain yourself. TVs, DVD players, video game systems and computers are all good items. I've been told that books can also fill this void. The Banshee has a friend who moved into her own place during this past year. She lives alone. She's got no cable, no Playstation and no Internet in the house. Needless to say, she hasn't been very happy with her life this past year. So, get yourself some hobbies. And also some electronics.

#3 Decorate. No matter how much you like your new place and your new independence, it's easy to feel a little homesick once in a while. This is particularly true if you're living in a sterile, cookie-cutter apartment complex. Decorating is a good way to combat the impersonal nature of most apartments. Throw down some rugs. Hang up some curtains. Paint if your landlord allows it. If you're not really a Martha Stewart typw, ask your mom or your sister or a friend for some help. If you make your apartment your own, it will feel more like a real home.

So, Big Girl, enjoy your new place.

~ Wild Banshee


If you have a burning question, please Ask Banshee.

"Like its politicians and its wars, society has the teenagers it deserves." J.B. Priestley

Soon, the United States Senate will begin its confirmation hearings for John Roberts, the President's nominee to replace Justice O'Connor on the High Court. Once the hearings begin, we will surely hear a chorus of liberal pundits decrying the conservatives' so-called litmus test on abortion.

The Banshee is here to dispel that myth. If anyone has a litmus test for Supreme Court nominees on the issue of abortion, it is liberals.

First of all, let me say that I do not think that there is anything wrong with either side of the debate having a litmus test for judicial nominees. Nominating justices for the Supreme Court is one of the President's most important duties. After all, it is one of the few duties that is specifically outlined in the Constitution. Voters know that this is the President's job and can certainly take that into account when casting their ballots every four years. I would never expect a pro-choice President to nominate a pro-life justice. Why should anyone expect that a pro-life President should nominate a pro-choice justice?

However, I appear to be a minority in this viewpoint. Political pundits basically accept it as true that a pro-life litmus test is somehow inappropriate. But, this pro-life litmus test is really a myth. No one would argue that a President should choose a judge who does not have a judicial philosophy that matches his own. Conservatives tend to be strict constructionists. When it comes to the Supreme Court, this means that they believe justices should look at what is actually written in the text of the Constitution and apply those words to the cases before them. This philosophy will tend to lead to "pro-life rulings." Regardless of whether you think abortion is good policy or not, if you look strictly at the words in the Constitution, you will not find a right to abortion on demand.

In contrast, liberals tend to view the Constitution as a living document. In other words, the actual text does not matter all that much. Instead, under this philosophy, a justice should look at the spirit of what the Founders wrote and apply that to the morals and society of today. Operating under this philosophy, a litmus test on abortion is absolutely necessary. After all, under this philosophy, there is no real overriding principle that guides any given judicial decision. Therefore, a pro-choice President must inquire into each important issue in order to have any idea how a prospective justice might rule on that issue. Abortion would be chief among those issues.

Liberals and conservatives will both tend to nominate justices that agree with their positions on abortion. Conservatives seek to accomplish this by nominating justices who agree with their judicial philosophy. It should be noted that neither Reagan nor Bush 41 were particularly succesful in putting pro-lifers on the bench. Liberals, however, use a true litmus test when it comes to making nominations for the High Court and have yet to fail.

"It is the height of wimposity to wear a visor on the golf course. .... That's why I didn't like Phil Mickelson in the first place." Bob Ryan on whether Lefty should wear a cap or visor at this weekend's PGA Championship. Lefty wore a cap to victory.

This weekend, the world's greatest golfers competed in the 87th PGA Championship. The PGA is the fourth and final major of the golfing season. The tournament was supposed to end on Sunday evening, but thunderstorms over northern New Jersey stopped play prematurely. Prior to the storm, Tiger Woods finished his final round and posted a respectable -2 in the clubhouse. When play was stopped, Phil Mickelson was at -5 and Steve Elkington was at -4, but both golfers were struggling and coming back to the field. Play resumed at 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning. Mickelson, whose only major victory came at the dramatic 2004 Masters, quickly coughed up the lead. But, Lefty ultimately prevailed when he chipped up for a tap-in birdie on the 72nd and final hole of the tournament. Unfortunately, the Banshee did not get to see this exciting victory for my favorite golfer. In order to pay for this Internet connection, I am forced to work in the daytime.



With the win, Mickelson became the first wire-to-wire winner of the PGA Championship since Tiger Woods accomplished the feat in 2000. This win also made Phil Mickelson the only left-handed player in history to win two major championships.