An interview with Gordon Gekko.
JWJ: Gordon,..May I call you Gordon?
GG: Yeah, man, but right now, you have to be quiet for a second. There's a bug over there, and I'm starved.
Gordon takes care of the bug. He nods as he swallows. I continue.
JWJ: I guess that establishes the fact that you eat bugs.
GG: Hell yeah, That's why your breed likes me so much. That and the fact that I'm so damn cute. I gotta tell you, the spokeslizard for the insurance company raise our profile into the Dinosaur realm with little kids.
JWJ: I have to be honest with you. I see a few lizards out here, and it's hard for me to tell one from another.
GG: Yeah, we get that a lot. I have to remind you that white people have that problem with many animals, even your own kind.
JWJ: True enough. My research tells me that you are a South Carolina Anole.
GG: I've heard that, but let's face it, man. Those are your names. My people didn't campaign for it any more than I wanted to be called Gordon. I kind of like you, and because you'd never reproduce the sounds that make up my name, we can stick with Gordon. (He whispers and gestures over his left shoulder) Bug.
Gordon scores another mosquito.
JWJ: Well, I see I've caught you at dinner. Why don't we continue this some other time? I just want you to know that it's nice having you around, and you are welcome in my yard.
GG: Just remember we were here first. Nice knowing you. (he makes some kind of unusual sound).
JWJ: I'm sorry I didn't get that last word.
GG: That was what we lizards call you in our language Jeff.
Spotlight
This week we hosted a good friend and designated 9th daughter, Anne Nagler. One of the afternoon activities was seeing the film "Spotlight." This is a drama based on reporters from The Boston Globe who broke open the scandal around the issue of pedophile priests.
The Spotlight reporters are in a special group, who work on stories they pick themselves and usually work in secret. The paper gets a new editor from out of the Boston area. He reads a column in the Globe about a priest who is caught molesting a child. He asks the Spotlight group if something they could cover. They tell him that the Catholic Church is a strong and influential force in the community, and well over half of their readers are Catholic. Given the history of this problem, it might be a tough road to travel.
We follow these reporters as they fight their own publisher, the church, and a community that protects the church. We know the outcome. Their work showed that not only was this a Boston problem but international in scope. We learn the church became a haven for pedophiles.
Priests, who were caught molesting children, were disciplined by their church and routinely sent to other parishes. Predictably, they violated other children, got caught, and were reassigned again and again. All of this time, the church was conspiring with local officials to cover up this activity and remained oblivious to the problems suffered by the victims.
The script, the direction, the acting, and the production were flawless. The story was compelling. My reaction of fear and concern was illogical, seeing I already knew the outcome. However, the outcome was not the whole story, nor was it what we should learn from this film.
In one scene, we see the presses running the "Big Story." The scene continues showing us the papers being bundled and put on trucks. We see the trucks delivering the bundles all over the city. My thoughts at this point were, is this why print journalism is going to go way? In the internet age, this is a terribly archaic way of reaching people with important information. On the other hand, how do we maintain an institutional force that supports journalism of this caliber? Who is going to do investigative journalism if we don't have something like a newspaper?
One answer might be the example of my friends at UrbanMilwaukee.com. Their call for contributions to a fund that would allow them to expand their services was oversubscribed.
Thanksgiving in the swamp
As I mentioned above, Anne Nagler visited us for the Holiday. Anne is, like her parents Len & Helen, the best kind of house guest. She moves in and relaxes like a family member. She knows she can help herself with the OJ, Wine, and snacks. Anne is aware we recycle and that we watch the news at six.
We got to tour her around our new territory; Madisonville, Mandeville, and Abita Springs. We saved the trip to the other side of the lake (OSL) for Saturday before her departure to her home in Portland. We went down to "the quarter," sat by the river, and went to the Cafe du Monde for beignets.
Here is the Dancing Man of Jackson Square. I have to say, with him carrying a cane, it was tough not to join him.
For Thanksgiving dinner, we joined our friends Linda and Danny Chauvin and their family for a bountiful feast. Great food and great company; a wonderful day until the end of the game (about which we will say no more).
In fact, it's time to leave you in your snow and cold freezing rain as we here in the swamp sit on our deck and chat with Gordon.
JWJ: Gordon, is it true? I understand mosquitos taste like chicken.
JWJ: Gordon,..May I call you Gordon?
GG: Yeah, man, but right now, you have to be quiet for a second. There's a bug over there, and I'm starved.
Gordon takes care of the bug. He nods as he swallows. I continue.
JWJ: I guess that establishes the fact that you eat bugs.
GG: Hell yeah, That's why your breed likes me so much. That and the fact that I'm so damn cute. I gotta tell you, the spokeslizard for the insurance company raise our profile into the Dinosaur realm with little kids.
JWJ: I have to be honest with you. I see a few lizards out here, and it's hard for me to tell one from another.
GG: Yeah, we get that a lot. I have to remind you that white people have that problem with many animals, even your own kind.
JWJ: True enough. My research tells me that you are a South Carolina Anole.
GG: I've heard that, but let's face it, man. Those are your names. My people didn't campaign for it any more than I wanted to be called Gordon. I kind of like you, and because you'd never reproduce the sounds that make up my name, we can stick with Gordon. (He whispers and gestures over his left shoulder) Bug.
Gordon scores another mosquito.
JWJ: Well, I see I've caught you at dinner. Why don't we continue this some other time? I just want you to know that it's nice having you around, and you are welcome in my yard.
GG: Just remember we were here first. Nice knowing you. (he makes some kind of unusual sound).
JWJ: I'm sorry I didn't get that last word.
GG: That was what we lizards call you in our language Jeff.
Spotlight
This week we hosted a good friend and designated 9th daughter, Anne Nagler. One of the afternoon activities was seeing the film "Spotlight." This is a drama based on reporters from The Boston Globe who broke open the scandal around the issue of pedophile priests.
The Spotlight reporters are in a special group, who work on stories they pick themselves and usually work in secret. The paper gets a new editor from out of the Boston area. He reads a column in the Globe about a priest who is caught molesting a child. He asks the Spotlight group if something they could cover. They tell him that the Catholic Church is a strong and influential force in the community, and well over half of their readers are Catholic. Given the history of this problem, it might be a tough road to travel.
We follow these reporters as they fight their own publisher, the church, and a community that protects the church. We know the outcome. Their work showed that not only was this a Boston problem but international in scope. We learn the church became a haven for pedophiles.
Priests, who were caught molesting children, were disciplined by their church and routinely sent to other parishes. Predictably, they violated other children, got caught, and were reassigned again and again. All of this time, the church was conspiring with local officials to cover up this activity and remained oblivious to the problems suffered by the victims.
The script, the direction, the acting, and the production were flawless. The story was compelling. My reaction of fear and concern was illogical, seeing I already knew the outcome. However, the outcome was not the whole story, nor was it what we should learn from this film.
In one scene, we see the presses running the "Big Story." The scene continues showing us the papers being bundled and put on trucks. We see the trucks delivering the bundles all over the city. My thoughts at this point were, is this why print journalism is going to go way? In the internet age, this is a terribly archaic way of reaching people with important information. On the other hand, how do we maintain an institutional force that supports journalism of this caliber? Who is going to do investigative journalism if we don't have something like a newspaper?
One answer might be the example of my friends at UrbanMilwaukee.com. Their call for contributions to a fund that would allow them to expand their services was oversubscribed.
Thanksgiving in the swamp
As I mentioned above, Anne Nagler visited us for the Holiday. Anne is, like her parents Len & Helen, the best kind of house guest. She moves in and relaxes like a family member. She knows she can help herself with the OJ, Wine, and snacks. Anne is aware we recycle and that we watch the news at six.We got to tour her around our new territory; Madisonville, Mandeville, and Abita Springs. We saved the trip to the other side of the lake (OSL) for Saturday before her departure to her home in Portland. We went down to "the quarter," sat by the river, and went to the Cafe du Monde for beignets.
Here is the Dancing Man of Jackson Square. I have to say, with him carrying a cane, it was tough not to join him.
For Thanksgiving dinner, we joined our friends Linda and Danny Chauvin and their family for a bountiful feast. Great food and great company; a wonderful day until the end of the game (about which we will say no more).
In fact, it's time to leave you in your snow and cold freezing rain as we here in the swamp sit on our deck and chat with Gordon.
JWJ: Gordon, is it true? I understand mosquitos taste like chicken.
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