Go Vols!

Back from vacation in Tennessee and I have to say - I LOVE THAT STATE! In fact, the trip has got me and the Digispouse thinking about the possibility of us becoming residents of the Knoxville area. Eastern Tennessee is gorgeous - can it use another family law attorney? And can a Bronx born and bred lass like myself become a Southerner?

Sure - why not? I've lived in the Northeast, the Southwest, the West Coast, and Switzerland (two years among the yodelers, in fact). I find that a person makes home where they are - and if I have my family with me, it's home.

Pictures and more information will be forthcoming. As I never attended a college with any type of a football team (first New York University, then the University of California at Irvine), I never had a loyalty to any particular team. Not even local boys UCLA or USC. But I think I will now start routing for the UT Volunteers, knowing that if I relocate, it's mandatory to do so around Knoxville.

GO VOLS!

By the way, when I was telling people about my upcoming vacation, often incredulously some would ask, "Why Tennessee?!" I have to say, it's a sad fact that people will always look to the obvious - Hawaii, Disneyland/world, New York City, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., the Grand Canyon, etc. - when thinking of a family vacation. There is so much this country has to offer, and all it takes is a little reading and planning to see some cool and neat stuff in states not known for "big ticket" tourist draws. For those interested, we flew into Nashville, rented a car, and drove a big triangle - basically, Nashville to Chattanooga to Knoxville, and then back to Nashville. Some of the time we took backroads, to avoid the interstate (and to appease my sense of history by swinging by Dayton, TN for a picture of the famous courthouse). If we saw something potentially interesting, we adopted a "Aw, what the heck" attitude and pulled over, "schedule" be damned. I love an American road trip and if we move to Tennessee, I look forward to driving through the South, an area I have explored only slightly before.

Gone Fishing

I'm off on vacation to Tennessee - won't be posting until at least August 28th. Hope everyone remains healthy and happy until then.

Happy Monday

After finishing a week of vacation, I head back to the ole legal salt mines. But at least I'll go back with a new attitude, as expressed here.

Can I Brag?

This is a picture of my quite handsome godson, Thomas Daniel O'Neill, who just this past week took 7th place in the men's 1500 meter freestyle at the 2006 Junior Nationals swimming competition in Irvine, California. Look at him - he's only 16 years old and his time for a metric mile of swimming was 16:00:18.

His mom and I - who have been friends for the last 33 years - were in the stands cheering him on . . . and Mom was talking to a number of coaches from various universities.

Tommy is going into his senior year of high school and can I say, he is smart, polite, well-mannered young man.

I was joking last night after the awards ceremony- any nice Catholic girls in the vicinity of Long Island, NY?

Congratulations, Tommy - we love ya!!!

Bad Art Friday

No, I am not trying to parody Happy Catholic's "Fine Art Friday" - which I apprecaite rgeatly - but during this past week while my dear old friend from Brooklyn has been out, we've ventured down to the OC's Village of the Damned (Artists), Laguna Beach.

While there, we went into the Wyland Gallery, less to look at the "art" and more to take advantage of their patio in the back, overlooking the beach. After looking around the gallery, I am unable to decide - is Wyland (who has a first name but chooses to use just his surname as his moniker, the pretentious git) the Thomas Kincaid of the ocean and its endless dolphins and whales, or is Thomas Kincaid, Painter of Light(tm) the Wyland of fey English cottages and bad Italiante scenery?

I might be offending some people, but I have to say, I have never seen works that I dislike more and am absolutely amazed that people not only buy this stuff, they finance it.

Anyway, I stumbled across this website - The Museum of Bad Art. Scary, but I actually like some of their stuff. See for yourself. Most of the artwork has either been acquired through thrift stores or found in dumpsters. That's what I like - affordable art.

Teach Your Children Well

It's important to pray with your children.

Thank God, Thank God . . .

Thank god, that British security foiled the terrorist plot. We are at war, my friends. never forget that.

God, Almightly Father, thank you for sending the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit upon the security forces, to discern the evil and protect the innocents. Thank God, for Your Mercy will save us all.

Horrifying, Scary Flashbacks!

God have mercy on my soul . . . we actually said meaningless s**t like this back when I was a consultant for Andersen Consulting . . . and charged our clients out the ying-yang to listen to it . . .

(Goes running for the Confessional . . .)

He's Driving Malibu, Too . . .

I see Robin Williams has decided to join Mel Gibson in rehab.

I'm sure Mel's problems were a wake-up call. One drink over the line, get pulled over, and it's blaming the Mennonites for starting all the wars. What a minute, are you a Mennonite?

Anyway, I am sure that it is a heartfelt decision and not one that is influenced at all by self-promotion. As his publicist said:

Williams "found himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family," she said in a statement. "He looks forward to returning to work this fall to support his upcoming film releases."

Oookay, call me cynic . . .

The Summer Book Meme

Mom-to-be Amy Pawlak tagged me, so here are my answers! (Please note: when it comes to books, there can never bee one answer, so I am trying not to take the ones already mentioned by others in this memo, such as To Kill a Mockingbird (a classic!) or The Bible)

1. One book that changed your life: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. When I first read it, I saw her as a hero. When I got older, it convinced me of the sterility and despair of selfishness.

2. One book that you have read more than once: There are a lot of them, so I will pick a classic: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Also Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: Everyone is saying The Bible, but I would also want my copy of the Divine Office so I could keep track of the seasons. Also 1001 Recipes for Coconuts by Betty "Bali Hai" Crocker.

4. One book that made you laugh: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein.

5. One book that made you cry: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

6. One book you wish would have been written: An autobiography by my father, Frank Martin, and one by my grandfather, Michael Koretzky.

7. One book you wish had never been written: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. Sick, twisted, depraved, and containing absolutely no literary value.

8. One book you are currently reading: Bones: A Forensic Detective's Casebook by Dr. Douglas Ubelaker. As a companion piece, I also recommend Death's Acre: Inside the Body Farm by Dr. Bill Bass.

9. One book you have been meaning to read: City of God by St. Augustine.

10. Tag some others: Hey, St. Jimbob, you're next!

Khan You DIg It?

I read in the local news today about Ghegis Khan and the plans of Mongolia to honor the 800 year anniversary of his founding of the Mongolian empire. The article also stated that nearly all Caucasian men have some of Khan's DNA, due to his lack of social skills in pillaging villages, where he would kill all the men and impregnate the women.

Feeling a little peckish today? Blame DNA . . .

Artistic License in Photojournalism

Gerald over at The Cafeteria is Closed has an interesting posting about Reuters allowing the publication of a photograph that really was amateurishly "cloned" in Photoshop to "enhance" the amount of smoke from an Israeli attack. Not surprisingly, the photographer was Lebanese.

This is not the only questionable photojournalism to come out of Lebanon. We have seen recently in the news the photo of a man holding a child, presumably killed or injured by Israeli rockets. Now there are stories that this was a staged photograph. Question is, are Reuters and the Associated Press unknowing dupes or are their photographers in on the game, whether to support one pilitical side or simply to have "the shot" that gets them acclaim as a news photographer?

This is not the first time Reuters has been found getting a little too liberal - pun intended - with their photojournalism. In September 2005, they published a picture of President George W. Bush jotting a note regarding the need for a bathroom break, resulting in accusations of Photoshop enhancement.

On the other hand, one look at Mel Gibson's mug shot and you can see what a consummate actor does when the camera is on him - despite early morning drunkenness, he hit his mark, with the right tilt of the head and slight smile. Nick Nolte, however, could have benefitted from a little Photoshop.

What Happened One Hot Day in Fall River

August 4, 1892 was hot in Fall River, indeed, much like what the good people of that town are suffering with this week. After a breakfast that history tells us included hot cakes, a spinster daughter went to the barn, looking for - as she would later testify - lead weights for her fishing line, as she thought she would want to pass the afternoon beside the river, under the comforting shade of a riparian tree.

Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And gave her mother forty whacks,
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one!

Today is the anniversary of the murders of Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby Borden. Although the crime scene photos are grainy, since photography was still in its infancy at that time, they depict the fact that the killings were horrific. Most of Andrew's face was obliterated by what authorities at the time presumed was an axe. He was found stretched across the sofa in the parlor, seemingly killed as he napped after lunch. Abby was on the floor of an upstairs bedroom, face down.

As most of you know, Andrew's eldest daughter, Lizzie, was accused of the murders . . . and acquitted. Forensics was, of course, not as advanced as it is today, but what is known about the murders - which includes Lizzie burning one of her dresses in the home's fireplace - point to her guilt. Yet she was found not guilty, largely because Victorian sensibilities of that time could not admit that a female of proper breeding could commit such a violent act. After all, if convicted, then any one of the landed gentry of Fall River could be the next madman - or madwoman - to emerge.

Why my interest? My great-grandparents, Henry and Elizabeth Sears, were Miss Lizzie's servants, after she sold the family home where the murders occurred and acquired her estate, Maplethorpe. Henry was a "florist" - read, gardener - for "private homes." Elizabeth (also called Lizzie, but this story belongs to only one Lizzie) was a "domestic servant." My grandmother, their daughter Anna, told me stories of her Fall River childhood. She was one of the privileged children whom Miss Lizzie would invite up to Maplethorpe, to sit at a lavishly appointed table for tea, lemonade and cookies with the doting old woman. My grandmother remembered Miss Lizzie as "kindly," and thought since she never married and had children, took an interest in the children's stories as if they all were her own grandchildren.

However, the family story is that Grandpa Sears maintained firmly until his death - "She did it." Unfortunately, his reasons were never expressed or lost to history. I wonder if, as Lizzie felt her days on earth begin to wane, whether she confided in her two servants the truth. Why not? She was an old lady and double jeopardy would protect her from trial. Futhermore, I believe Henry and Elizabeth knew her at the time of the murders and subsequent trial. Lizzie's confidante at the time was her clergyman, the Rev. Edwin A. Buck, a Congregational minister. I was surprised to get my great-grandparents marriage license from the turn of the century that shows they were married by . . . the Rev. Buck, despite the fact that his congregation was made up of well-to-do citizens of Fall River and Henry and Elizabeth were poor Catholics. Elizabeth's occupation at marriage was housemaid - was she already then working for Miss Lizzie, or perhaps the minister?

Henry himself remains a mystery, as I have been unable to locate his birthplace. Sometimes he claims Massachuetts as the site of his nativity, sometimes Claremont, New Hampshire, and sometimes French Canada. I did the montage with his picture above some while back, asking my dead ancestor, "Henri, qu'est-ce que passe?" "Henry, what happened?"

I am still waiting for my answer.

The Continuing Story of the Mel

I was impressed by Amy Pawlak's take on l'affaire Gibson, over at Modern Commentaries.

One point that she made to which I heartily agree is that, given time, this issue will blow over because of the beast that The Business is. Everyone will hate Mel right now - until he offers them the opportunity to make money. One of the first quotes I saw about this incident came from Barbara Walters, who said on The View that she was not going to watch Mel Gibson pictures anymore - but I have no doubt that if he were to offer her an interview to explain that night, she would have the cameras rolling in a Noo Yawk second, knowing it would get her the ratings she places above all.

Mel acted like an absolute ass. In fact, he may actually be one - for all we know, he is of the same mindset as his father and a closet anti-Semite. Mel does not get a "get out of jail free" card for making The Passion of the Christ. It remains a cinema classic and an outstanding piece of art. But he must know, as a Catholic, that none of us are "saved" - our journey towards salvation is precisely that, a voyage, not a moment in time, and a life long struggle. We sin, we fall, we get back up - hopefully, to limp in chains to the nearest Confessional, where those are removed. Mel needs to get to that Confessional . . . now.

I would like to see one more apology from Mr. Gibson, though - one to his fellow Catholics. He has been our "poster boy," if you will, and very public about his faith. Perhaps to some Catholics his behavior is merely a disappointment, but to others it is an embarassment and a hurt, especially since the Church has come a long way in establishing relations with the Jews. In addition to the slurs made by him, now we see the pictures of Mel just before his arrest, partying it up with a bevy of ladies with his wife absent. It's a sordid and unseemly picture over all and unfortunately it is one that allows people to use to justify their own prejudice against Catholics. Mel tarnished the image of Mother Church, and yes, I do think he owes us an apology. But remember, our challenge is to forgive - let's hope that happens as well.

One Bastion of Catholic Learning Deserves Praise

Argentine Catholic University in bid to save unborn child.