A few random war musings
* So I guess we can say Peter Arnett is "embedded" (or perhaps simply "in bed with") Saddam's regime? His (Arnett's) buddy George Esper, who currently teaches at a WV institution of higher ed, was interviewed this morning on a WV MetroNews statewide radio show. Esper was taking up for his friend, making excuses like, "Peter's a very accommodating guy," and kind of insinuating that perhaps Arnett got himself into the situation by being "accommodating" and granting an interview to Iraq's state TV, much like the interviews he'd granted to other international media outlets. I can see how it might be scary to say no to a gentle "request" by the Iraqi regime, but surely he wouldn't have HAD to go on like he did, unless he had a gun to his head, and according to what he said this morning on the Today Show, that must not have been the case.

* Have you noticed that retired military guys LOVE the screenwriter?
TV babe: "Now let's go to retired gener---"
Gen. X: "RITA, LET'S GO TO THE SCREENWRITER! CAN WE GO TO THE SCREENWRITER?" blah blah
TV babe: "That's fascinating, Gen. X. So, you think the battle of Baghdad is coming soon?"
Gen. X: "IF WE CAN, LET'S GO BACK TO THE SCREENWRITER..."
TV babe: "What about supplies, Gen. X? Can our troops get all that they need, even though they're deep inside Iraq?"
Gen. X: "We'll be bringing in supplies from a number of directions. If I can go back to the screenwriter..."
You get the picture.
How was war ever waged without use of the blessed screenwriter to analyze it?

Blue Light Special Continued
Unfortunately, the AP picked up the story about the Kimball K-Mart closing: Despite effort to save it, remote West Virginia KMart closing. The story's appeared in newspapers in Georgia, South Dakota, California, Missouri, and Virginia, to name just a few. If you go by this article's definition of remote (25 miles from the nearest "general merchandise store"), the Brooklyn Hillbilly and I spent our first 18 years in a "remote" location.

Confession
If you had any lingering doubts about whether I am or am not a real DORK, then this ought to clear things up for you. I recently purchased the Statler Brothers 30 year Anniversary Celebration CD set. I was brainwashed as a young child, you see. My mom played the records in the afternoons (after we'd finished watching game shows in the morning -- Price Is Right was my favorite), so listening to these songs sort of takes me back to a happier time. I just have to be careful now that it's spring and I'm driving around with my windows rolled down. It's not a good thing to get stopped in traffic with "The Official Historian on Shirley Jean Berrell" blaring, at least not when you live in a college town that moves to the beat of Eminem, 50 Cent, etc.

BTW, I'll have you know that the Statler Brothers were called "America's poets" by Kurt Vonnegut in his book Palm Sunday. So there!

Obit Watch
This creative new death euphemism comes to us from Sunday's Charleston Gazette-Mail:
(name of deceased) of Charleston fell asleep in Christafter a short illness.

Hiatus
Going back to the homeland for the weekend. Taking some shiny beads and strands of ribbon to trade with the natives, 'cause we all know "how those people down there live."

Today's Pfc. Jessica Lynch selected readings
Susan Estrich has written an article mentioning Pfc. Jessica Lynch: When supply lines become front lines - Case of Pfc. Jessica Lynch illustrates incongruence in military rules.
Meanwhile, the Parkersburg News & Sentinel is stretching to find new angles on the story: Sweets pray Lynch is safe

Operation Noble Foster
I signed up for Operation Noble Foster the other day, a program for fostering cats left behind when National Guard & Reserve members are deployed and don't have anyone to take care of their pets. I was looking through some of the profiles already posted on the site to get an idea of what I might say. You're asked to answer a series of questions and then have the chance to say anything you want about yourself and the foster home you can provide. One woman stated that she didn't believe in vaccinations, except for rabies vaccinations because those are required by law, and ever since she quit getting her cats vaccinated their health had improved. She also said that she fed her cats a lot of raw chicken -- "organ meat and thighs." Ewwwwwww. Anticipating responses like mine, I suppose, she also wrote "think of me what you will, but don't knock it till you've tried it." Thanks, but I'll pass. There's just something about the phrase "organ meat" that makes it, well, unsavory.

Blue Light Special
The residents of Kimball (McDowell County) are still pissed about the closing of their K-Mart. These are the same folks who held a prayer vigil when the corporation announced the closing of the store last fall.

This article that appears in today's Charleston Gazette contains several telling statements, such as:

In March 1995, when Kmart opened in Kimball, residents saw it as a godsend, said City Councilman Randy DeLoatch. The city annexed land off U.S. 52 to put the store in town limits. The store provided about half of the town's B&O taxes....."We just want [Kmart] to be gone so we can move on," he said. "I'd like to tell Kmart 'you came to town, you gave us hope and then you left us. So get the hell out.'"

And this is how the article concludes:

Many Kimball residents are older natives, who remember Kimball and McDowell County in their primes during the 1950s and '60s. Dalton has lived in McDowell County all of her life, but even she thought of leaving.
"The county is so depressed, I've prayed to God that I wanted to leave," she said. "But I haven't felt that release, that I should leave. And I think it will get better."

Perhaps it was God who gave Kmart the "release" to leave Kimball.

By the way, I pasted the article into Notepad because I wanted to see how many times the word God appeared in the story. Well, the first time I did the search, I messed it up and got this error message: "Cannot find "god""

Darwin-worthy
A loyal reader has alerted me that the Darwin Awards have added the tragic tale of the Mineral Wells Spitter to their "Slush Pile" under the heading "Tobacco Spitter Spits His Last."

More impressive is this makes a total of 5 confirmed readers of this blog.

Where is Salam?
The Philadelphia Inquirer has an interesting article about Salam and his blog, or, rather, an article examining the phenomenon of Salam and his blog.

Wahhhhhhh! Quick, go look at this picture!

CHA-CHING! Woohoo! Raking in those tax dollars!

Another W.Va. Powerball winner
Thursday March 27, 2003; 10:30 AM
BLUEFIELD -- For the second time in just over three months, a winning Powerball ticket was purchased in West Virginia.
One winning ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball in Wednesday night's drawing and won the $62.4 million jackpot, lottery officials said today.

Update -
Darn Virginians...
Virginia man claims $62.4 million Powerball jackpot
By the Associated Press
Published April 1, 2003
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Virginia man has claimed last week's $62.4 million Powerball jackpot.

Here's another one to file in the "Fiddling While Rome Burns" folder:

Resolution opposes sale of alcohol from three anti-war nations
March 27, 2003 9:59 AM
Fairmont
The Marion County Commission wants the state to stop selling wine, liquor and beer from France, Germany and Russia because the countries oppose the war in Iraq.

Commissioner Cody Starcher says the resolution is aimed mainly at the French.

Starcher, Commission President James Sago and Commissioner Alan Parks say they know yesterday's resolution is symbolic.

Parks says he has a Great Pyrenees dog and his wife drives an old German car, but he supports the resolution.

Thomas Keeley is commissioner of the state's Alcohol Beverage Control Administration. He says the resolution is the first passed by one of the state's 55 county commissions.

The ABC-A has a monopoly on the sale of liquor. Keeley says the agency will carefully analyze and review the commission's resolution, just as it would any resolution addressed to it by a county commission.

The most shocking thing to me in this story is that someone in Marion County has a Great Pyrenees dog.
Meanwhile, not to be outdone, the French have announced a boycott of West Virginia pepperoni rolls.

I heard a liquor store owner being interviewed on the news last night. The proprietor said, "We don't need Russian vod-kee -- We don't need German vod-kee." I cringed. VOD-KEE. Great. That's just great.

Today's Pfc. Jessica Lynch selected reading
(only one so far -- media frenzy fizzling)
New York Times: Relatives of Missing Soldiers Dread Hearing Worse News

Reprehensible
Imagine my state of panic this morning when I (finally) stumbled out of bed, flipped on the TV to watch Fox & Friends, and instead was greeted by E!. ACK! I checked the channel. Checked the cable connection. What the...? Decided to shower -- perhaps it was an extended spoof on E! that I wasn't awake enough to appreciate. No, still E!. Finally turned to the channel that lists all the programs and had to wait for Fox News to appear. The brilliant minds at Adelphia had switched it from #56 to #33, right beside CNN (#32). I immediately started thinking it was a conspiracy to suppress FoxNews, as these channel changes are normally preceded by an all-out media blitz. Then I noticed that ESPN and ESPN2 had also been relocated and felt slightly comforted.

Soldier 'bloggers' report from war
A CNN article about blogging during the war, from the war and about the war. Thanks to Carolina for the link.

Cabela's store & distribution center coming to Ohio County, WV
OK, at first I wasn't so impressed by this news item, but when I saw pictures of the Dundee, Michigan, store, I have to admit I was impressed. And I'm not exactly a hunting supply kind of girl. But this store is something else -- an indoor trout stream, giant aquariums, a restaurant that serves elk burgers, quail, etc., and 140,000 items in the store. More impressive is that the WV store will be only the 9th Cabela's nationwide, and all of the stores are located in towns with populations under 10,000.
Amazingly, Cabela's Michigan store is that state's #1 tourist attraction.

Spring annoyances
My cats have declared jihad against the resident moths. I can live with the mysterious little things fluttering around my recently-purchased shack, but I can't handle Spooky & Lucille leaping into the bookcase, the mini-blinds and, worst of all, my plant stands while in hot pursuit of the moths.

More genius from the local TV station
This, however, comes from an area Red Cross representative that they interviewed tonight. While describing the various ways people can support the troops through different Red Cross programs, the guy kept repeating something like, "What people really should do is prepare for war at home." Blah blah blah. "People should take the time to prepare for war at home." blah. "People should prepare for war at home. Furthermore, people should prepare for war at home. And, finally, people should prepare for war at home."

Huh?

I realize domestic violence is a problem in WV, but what the hell is this guy meaning? Does he think Maryland is going to move its national guard into WV's eastern panhandle and demand our one prosperous chunk of land?

I hope what he meant to say was "disaster" -- that we should prepare for natural disasters.

In addition to my rant below, I'd like to submit this. I'm sick and tired -- SICK & TIRED, I SAY! -- of hearing these apparently spineless creatures calling into talk radio shows complaining about the constant war coverage. I'm the first to criticize the media (if you've been reading this blog for any length of time you'd know that), but to those people I have to ask the following: Is someone there holding a gun to your head making you watch 24-hour cable news??? No, I don't think so. FLIP THE DAMN CHANNEL! First, pick up the remote. Then dial up ABC, NBC or CBS. They had regular programming last night -- The Practice, Everybody Loves Raymond, even the frigging Miss USA/Fear Factor combo on NBC. You have a brain AND free will. Now go use it and turn the channel, morons.

List updated
I've updated the list of stories about Pfc. Jessica Lynch.

In other news: earth is round, sky blue, grass green

Survey: W.Va. among nation's least-educated states

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - A U.S. Census Bureau survey suggests that West Virginia is among the nation's least-educated states. West Virginia has the lowest percentage of people with four-year college degrees and the second-lowest percentage of residents with high school diplomas, according to the report issued last week.

I guess that's why a certain legislator from the eastern panhandle wanted to close two of the state's colleges. Nobody gonna go -- might as well close the damn things! Sure, makes sense.

It said a national-worst 15.9 percent of West Virginians age 25 or older have four-year college degrees, and that 78.5 percent of the state's residents have graduated from high school. Only exas has fewer people with high school diplomas, with 78.1 percent.

Woohoo! Don't mess with Texas! Hey, what about our buddies Mississippi???

For the most part, the study found that across the nation, more education led to more earning potential.

Those who get four-year degrees learn how to make profound deductions like that.

Smart cookie
A very smart Hillbilly Sophisticate reader contacted me via e-mail recently. I was completely shocked because a) I thought I had only 2 regular readers (The Brooklyn Hillbilly and his friend) and b) my e-mail address isn't posted anywhere on this site. But this clever individual, who says she spent 666 days of her life in Parkersburg, WV, figured out my yahoo address based on the links to my cats' pictures. Vewy vewy smart. If there are others of you out there, you can e-mail me at wirt44 at yahoo dot com. Make sure you put the name of this blog in the subject line. I get an inordinate amount of spam and usually just check my yahoo account to delete the spam and keep the account active. A sure way to make sure I don't read your e-mail is to put "bored housewives waiting for you," "I got banged last night!!!," "Teen webcam," and similar phrases in the subject.

BTW, I'm not sure if she actually lived in Parkersburg 666 days or if she picked that number based on the "wonderful" experience she had living there ;-).

For the record
The sign in front of a restaurant along Route 50 in Wood County is STILL misspelled, but this week I notice the sign says: "Pray for Americia." So, either they misspelled it in yet another way, or I missed the first "i" last week. In either case, I find it pathetic that no one working for the restaurant -- or even a concerned passerby -- has noticed this in a full 7 days.

Nerve
A vagrant just asked me for money while I was walking up the sidewalk after going to pick up some lunch (Greek food). Normally, I would feel guilty to say no to a beggar, especially when carrying a plate of food, but this guy was sitting on a bench with a full bottle of Mountain Dew and he was opening a brand new package of cigarettes. So, I didn't feel so guilty. I guess he flunked out of How to Conceal Your Wealth 101 in bum school. Oh sure, 12 oz. of Mountain Dew and a pack of Tourney cigarettes don't really denote extreme wealth, but still, you know what I mean.

Ashleigh "Banished" Banfield
It was so refreshing to see Ashleigh Minefield Banfield relegated to the Ft. Campbell, Ky., assignment during Operation Iraqi Freedom. You could hear the disdain in her voice as she interviewed mostly pro-troop/pro-government people in a diner near Ft. Campbell. She did, however, manage to track down one anti-Bush person -- the cook. She spent so much time questioning him, food started burning and fire alarms began blaring. But then the stupid slut "lucked out" when that nutcase in the 101st rolled those grenades into tents, killing one of his superior officers. The 101st is based in Ft. Campbell, so sweet Ashleigh was in the spotlight with a "real" story to investigate.

This blog is great for those of us stuck at computers all day -- Blogs of War.

Oh good grief.

Man dies after fall from car while trying to spit out tobacco
March 20, 2003 5:13 PM, Mineral Wells, WV
Wood County Sheriff's deputies are investigating an unusual accident in which a man was killed while trying to spit out a mouthful of tobacco.

Forty-two-year-old Howard Johnson of Ravenswood was a passenger in his girlfriend's car Monday morning. As the car was exiting Interstate 77 at Mineral Wells, Johnson opened the door to spit and fell out of the vehicle.

He died the next day from head injuries sustained in the fall.

Hillbilly book list
This is off the topic of the current 24-7 all-war-all-the-time coverage, but who cares. I'm putting the following on my 2005 Christmas wish list: Encyclopedia of Appalachia.

If the Pentagon needs to come up with new phrases (e.g. "shock & awe") and buzzwords, I wish they would turn to the blogosphere. Wouldn't you just pay to hear Rummy say something like this?

"Oh, who cares about the French. They're nothing but a bunch of assclowns. And if you think I'm about to divulge the location of the 82nd Airborne, then you're bigger fucktards than I originally thought. I'll have to send you to Chicago to take to the streets with those rectal goblins protesting Operation Iraqi Freedom. As for Saddam's sons, well, they're little assnuggets,if you ask me. Why don't we turn our attention to Saddam's latest speech, shall we? Can we get that up on the screen? OK, I shall now fisk the Iraqi leader's address to his people."

No, for the love of God, this ain't it
If one more frigging journalist asks in a whining tone, "Is THIS 'shock and awe'?", I'm gonna explode into a hillbilly "shock and awe" rage like the world has never seen.

I can totally see these dim bulbs standing there, with a big mushroom cloud in the background, inquiring, "Is THIS 'shock and awe'? Huh, do you think? Is this it? What are you hearing back in the studio, Bob? Is it 'shock and awe'?"

Hmmm, maybe "shock" and "awe" are the names of nuclear bombs, like "Fat Man" and "Little Boy."

Furthermore, I'm tired of hearing about the journalists "embedded with the troops." I know a few journalists who would love to be "em-bedded" with troops, or damn near anything else with opposable thumbs.

Dense fog
Continued desperate attempts by the local news station to offer international news coverage -- tonight it came in the form of the moronic weatherman giving the forecast (weather, that is) for the Middle East. OK, fine. That's tolerable. But then he said, "So, if American troops do invade Kuwait, they'll have to slightly increasing temperatures." KUWAIT? At least get the right damn country!

Not a target
It came as no surprise to me tonight when the local news reported that "there have been no direct terrorist threats against West Virginia." How can anyone with a half a wit get on TV and say such nonsense?! Oh sure, I know, the plastic-faced blonde bitches just read whatever the script says, but for the love of God -- they could at least grin as they say it to acknowledge the ridiculousness.
Meanwhile, I've been put "on alert" because as soon as the war "breaks out" I have to rush to work to post on the company's website the head of the company's "reaction" to the war. I'm not kidding. It'd be one thing if my employer had something vaguely to do with the military.

Misspellings du jour

Outdoor sign in front of a restaurant in Wood County: "Pray for Amercia"

Pray for "Amercia" and that "Amercians" learn how to spell.

Permanent sign on side of a restaurant in Monongalia County: "Family owned buisness since 1937."

Apparently the family also has been misspelling the most basic of words since 1937.

Readin' and Ritin'
In a slightly related matter, WV legislators are considering giving counties the option of starting the school year earlier, as early as Aug. 11. Not surprisingly, among those adamantly opposed to the idea are the West Virginia Education Association and the West Virginia Federation of Teachers (as reported in today's Charleston Daily Mail).

-30-
In journalism, "-30-" at the end of an article shows that that's the end. I'm not sure anyone actually uses it any more, but that's what was taught to me waaaaay back in high school journalism. I should also note that we used an electric typewriter to write our articles for class. Just to show you how things have changed.

Anyway, today I'm thirty years old and it looks like my story is going to ramble on, in spite of the -30-. I'd planned to write a festive Elizabeth Smart Mad Lib in honor of the occasion, but I'm instead struggling with a personal matter and in no mood for such folly. So I guess you'll just have to tune in next year for that Mad Lib.

And this from a state whose university refers to itself as the "Cocks"
The Hur Herald has the whole story on a South Carolina newspaper columnists remarks about West Virginia. The Hur Herald is, to my knowledge, one of or the only online-only news publication in the state. (Hat tip to the Brooklyn Hillbilly, a regular reader of the Hur Herald)

More brilliance out of Salt Lake City
There's something about this Salt Lake City police chief that really irks me. First of all, why even have a press conference -- or at least don't take questions. I'm the first to admit reporters ask some pretty berzerk and stupid things. One reporter asked where Mitchell got the money to do all the traveling he did. Now that seems like a pretty good question to me. Not that they're going to answer it, but still, it's pretty logical. Where does a homeless guy get the cash to travel to San Diego? The police chief retorts, "GOD," snickers, and moves on to the next question. Good grief, at least say you're investigating and don't want to comment. What a jackass.

And speaking of jackasses...
I'm presently cheering for Syracuse to down Georgetown in the Big East tournament. It takes a lot for a Mountaineer to cheer for the Orangemen, but that's what I'm doing 'cause I don't think Jim Boeheim would hurl obscenities at an elderly man. I was heartened to hear the Boston College play-by-play announcer Ted Sarandis mention tonight on WV MetroNews' Sportline that Craigie E. had had some "problems" at Georgetown. He also insinuated that the only reason Craigie E. was still hanging on to his job was because of John Thompson's lingering dictatorship influence on the Georgetown program. These comments followed a most-impressive, unprovoked speech (by Sarandis) singing the praises of WVU coach John Beilein.

I'm already dreading the day when some school steals Beilein away from us. And you know who I fear most? Syracuse. Jim Boeheim has been there 27 years and surely retirement will be coming sometime in the coming years. Wouldn't that be just the place for our JB to finish out his career -- back in his homeland? I really hope I'm wrong, but I just can't imagine us having the money to keep him here for the rest of his career.

P.S. Syracuse has won. Thank you, Jim Boeheim -- keep coaching a very long time.

Go ahead and take the jewelry, just don't mess with my 4-wheeler!
Oooooh, big crime wave in my home county, as the Parkersburg News reports today. Luckily, none of my relatives own 4-wheelers (or 3 wheelers, for that matter), so I don't have to worry about thieves targeting my "kin-folk."

Smart Bombshell
I watched the "Elizabeth Smart is Found" pep rally press conference. I'm glad the girl is alive and seems to be well, but is it really appropriate to act with such giddiness when it's taken 9 months to find her? And was it appropriate for the Salt Lake City police chief to comment enthusiastically that Elizabeth looked just like her pictures and was "a very attractive young lady"?

Teletubbies take Kentucky
I can only hope they are content with the Bluegrass State and don't try to cross the border. Ipse Dixit has a startling image of the new Kentucky license plate. Kind of makes me thankful for our non-descript plates.

Obit watch
From the Sometimes It's Better To Say Nothing At All Dept., we have this from an obituary in one of the state newspapers:

"He was a member of VFW, his hobbies included golfing and fishing and he was a former coffee drinker."

Shopping rant
I go in to Elder Beerman and, as one of 5 customers in the entire store, I'm expecting exemplary service since there appears to be a glut of sales personnel. Wrong. I find a woven placemat on the discount shelf that I think might be worth the 98 cents on the tag. I am then turned down by not one, but TWO worthless sun-baked skanks who claim their cash registers are closed. Neither offer any hints as to where I might find an open register.

Geographically-challenged Yankees
A rare visit from the Brooklyn Hillbilly brought entertaining news of how his Manhattan colleagues view the Mountain State. One of the most amusing to me is the apparently widely-held notion that WV is part of The South, to the same extent that states like Georgia (Jah-juh) and Mississippi (Miss-sippy) are in The South.
Sure, technically most of the state is below the Mason Dixon line, but the South? That seems bizarre -- I identify more with Pennsylvania and New Jersey than Louisiana (Looz-ee-anna).
Of course, part of this sentiment is likely traced to another widely-held belief -- that WV is not its own state, but is, in fact, a territory of Virginia. And since Va. is historically tied to the South -- well, maybe that's the connection. The Brooklyn Hillbilly has had to explain the news of our succession from Va. on numerous occasions, using as verification the outline of WV on the weather maps shown on the NY TV stations. What -- did they think there was a big circular RIVER running through Virginia? How can otherwise wordly people be so stupid about a large tract of land not too far to their southwest?

One more word on Georgetown's Craigie E.
I heard it straight from the clock operator's mouth that yes, he was berated by the Georgetown coach after Georgetown's win at the Coliseum. To understand why I'm outraged by this, you have to picture this little, quiet older man. He's been running the clock at games for decades. Now, yes, that may not be the best advertisement for someone responsible for operating equipment during a fast-paced college basketball game. But what about Craigie E.? It takes a special kind of jackass to curse at a grandfatherly man and allege that he tried to cheat.

"Books Not Bombs" bombs
I ought to provide a lengthy commentary on the local pathetic excuse for an anti-war protest which was billed as a "student walk-out," but I quit taking it seriously when I heard one of the student organizers on the radio this morning saying something to this effect:
"Yeah, we're hoping a lot of students come out. We're having it at 12:15 because that's when classes let out and most students will be done with their classes. That way they can come to the rally and not have to miss their classes, or at least not a whole day of classes."
Um, isn't that the idea of a "student walk-out"? Don't you need to WALK OUT of something -- like class?

Crying Craigie E
Sorry, I can't let it go quite yet. The last time he eked out a victory over the WVU Mountaineers, sweet Craigie E went out of his noggin complaining that his linebacker center had been manhandled by the Mountaineers. This time, after once again knocking off WVU in a very close match riddled with questionable officiating calls, Craigie E delivered a post-game "obscenity-laced tirade" to the CLOCK OPERATOR for what he perceived as a blatant attempt by the CLOCK OPERATOR to rob the poor little Hoyas of the victory. He blamed the CLOCK OPERATOR, not the officials for failing to signal to start the clock. Good Lord, this man needs medication, not to mention a clue -- preferably delivered upside the head with considerable force.

Craigie E can rest assured that people who work at sporting events year after year (and the WVU clock operator falls into this category) possess no urge to single-handedly influence the outcome of a game. You sit there and do the best you can do because, naturally, you want to do the best you can do, and you also know there will be hell to pay if you don't. Screwing up on national TV is even more embarrassing, and trying to control the clock to benefit the home team is definitely something that would be noticed.

The info about Craigie E, by the way, is reported by WVU play-by-play announcer Tony Caridi and was broadcast statewide just now on MetroNews Sportsline. Tony sits just a few seats down from the clock operator, so he was in the prime location to overhear said tirade.

Big Monday: Georgetown 69-WVU 67
Chalk up a "W" for the Big East Conference officials. In a purely dazzling display of fuckwittery, the brilliant three-man crew of John Clougherty, Tony Greene, and Reggie Greenwood (who I usually like, by the way) engineered a much-needed victory for Georgetown. I've watched a great deal of college basketball over the past 5 or so years. Typically, I think I keep a pretty open mind because I work during the games and have to see "the big picture."

Sometimes officiating crews just seem to call the game for a particular team. I've seen it happen a couple of times, but I think this was the most blatant example of it. I don't think they set out to do it. I suppose it's possible, but I don't give the guys enough credit to sit around and plan such a thing. Instead, I think it's subconscious, or maybe I just choose to think it's not intentional because the alternative is too sickening. Perhaps the officials were remembering when meek, mild-mannered Craigie E went cracker dog* following the first WVU-Georgetown game.

One interesting observation -- during the announcement of the starting line-ups, the Georgetown assistant coaches and many of the players clapped their hands over their ears in anticipation of the ceremonial firing of the musket by the Mountaineer mascot. As if the sound of gunfire is completely foreign to those living in the DC metro area.

And just one more thing about Craigie E -- I can't stand the way he struts out in the middle of the floor during time outs and stands there with his hands on his hips in manner of JC Penney catalog underwear model.

*The term "cracker dog" comes from the James Herriott book series (e.g. All Creatures Great and Small) and refers to a dog who's acting crazy.

Thanks to the Talking Dog, I've found another West Virginia blogger. John's blog is way more serious than mine. By serious I mean in-depth, thoughtful, informed, and about real issues. I'm just a troubled loner spouting off on various and sundry issues and, of course, critiquing the hopelessly pathetic obits of the local papers.

Now here's something I think most West Virginians will enjoy: International Eat an Animal for PETA Day. As you all know, West Virginia's obesity rate ranks second in the nation -- damned Mississippi edged us out for the top spot. Oh well, there's always rate of toothlessness. But anyway, back to eating animals! I encourage West Virginians to enjoy this new holiday sensibly -- say, by eating some nice lean chicken strips stir-fried with vegetables. I, daughter of a former TRAPPER (yes, as in catching animals in traps and selling the fur), will likely celebrate the occasion with some seafood. As March 15 is dreadfully close to my 30th birthday, the seafood will likely be of the deep-fried variety (who wants to diet when old age is staring you in the face??).