A present from a neighbor

My neighbor, Suzi Sturdy, made this wreath for me. She knows that without her help, I'll never put anything on my front door. I thought it was a genuinely kind gesture. And I love The Star part of the wreath.

Karl Rove weighs in on the election

Everyone knows about Karl Rove. I found this on the Web. It's Karl Rove & Co.'s state-by-state breakdown of who takes each state. He also makes a final call of the election (but as we've said before, voters determine winners, not polls). So vote.

http://www.rove.com/uploads/0000/0049/McCain-Obama_11_3_08_FINAL.pdf

Interestingly, he does indeed call North Carolina for McCain, something more and more people believe will be the case. But it's clear that North Carolina is one of the tightest states for the presidential race. This state appears deadlocked and it will come down to which political party gets out the vote.

Why didn't I follow the instructions?

It clearly says in about 10 places, DO NOT use sharp objects to remove ice from the freezer in my compact refrigerator. It warns that you might puncture the coils.

So what do I do?

I use a screwdriver to remove the ice. And while I successfully removed the ice, I did indeed puncture the coils. The refrigerator dies. A perfect ending to a really lousy day.

I will never ever use a sharp object to remove ice again. Of course, I have to buy a new refrigerator first. Bummer.

Early voting lines healthy

It looked like the early voting lines were extremely healthy on Saturday. Apparently, extending the hours made a lot of sense. Perhaps it will help alleviate long lines on Tuesday in what is expected to be a record turnout.

Family graves, Toluca and 'Knobby'

Here's a column that's running in Sunday's paper:

I might have been born in Gastonia, but I have deep roots in Cleveland County.

That fact was reinforced Sunday when my family came up to visit me in Shelby. From there, I took them on a tour of upper Cleveland County.

I discovered a few things that still have me scratching my head.

My grandfather and grandmother, Hix and Lillie Wellman, are buried at the cemetery at Friendship Methodist Church in Fallston. (By the way, that's a pretty impressive war memorial in Fallston)

What stumps me is the last name Wellman. My grandfather spelled his last name "Wellman." His brother "Bub," just two graves away, spelled the name "Wellmon." So do some others I found in the cemetery. I don't know why there's a discrepancy. Perhaps someone filled out a form incorrectly somewhere along the way. I know reading and writing weren't particular priorities in this era. My grandfather was born in the 1890s.

Regardless, now we have Wellmons and Wellmans and people with both names are related to me -- not all of them of course, but certainly some of them.

Frankly, in the past I've never been one to get particularly interested in family history. But it also surprised me that I have relatives who live in the area who are doing a terrific job of maintaining the gravesites. They had nice flowers on all the family graves. They had also taken care to keep debris off the sites. And I really don't have a clue who they are.

Toluca and 'Knobby'

From there we went toward Lawndale and then I decided to show them Toluca, the area where Cleveland and Lincoln counties come together. I knew they would get a kick out of RedBone Willy's. Based on some phone calls I've received in the past, some folks don't believe Redbone Willy's is actually in Cleveland County. With the county lines all over the place in that area, I can see where there would be some confusion. I checked out the Cleveland County GIS records, and sure enough, the establishment is indeed on the tax rolls of Cleveland County.

Speaking of Toluca, in 1979 the former Jennie Palmer, now Jennie Lambert, wrote about "Knobby," a mysterious and unidentified creature local residents reported seeing around Carpenter's Knob. Some thought it was a bear. Some likened it to "Bigfoot." She wrote several stories about "Knobby." It was a big deal back then. People would travel from other states just to search for "Knobby." The stories live on to this day through the Internet. Folks are posting them on various sites and blogs.

Of course, Jennie Lambert was a writer for the Gaston Gazette at that time. She's the former publisher of The Star and is now publisher of The Gaston Gazette as well and vice president of Freedom North Carolina newspapers. She got a kick out of it when I sent her a link to one of her old Knobby stories. She also has deep roots in Cleveland County.

So whatever happened to Knobby? Do folks still talk about it? Did he die of old age? Did he relocate to Lincoln County? Shoot me an e-mail and let me know. It might be time to resurrect Knobby for an updated news story.

Fantasy football and that big Obama cutout

Two things: My fantasy baseball team looks like the Red Cross all-stars with all the injury crosses. I can't field a healthy team from week to week and I don't want to cut the injured players I have. There's always next year. And frankly, I like baseball better.

Also, did anyone else see that lifesize Obama cutout across the street from the early voting site on Patton Drive and Graham Street? Out of the corner of my eye I thought for a split second it was him. I almost wrecked. I heard people talking about that sign all day long. Early voting appeared off to a healthy start in Cleveland County.

Things are getting better in fantasy baseball

My fantasy baseball fortunes have taken a turn for the better. I'm in three leagues and I've struggled all year. However, in my keeper league I've gone from sixth place to a tie for second with one day to go. Finishing second (or third) in that league is actually an accomplishment.

In another league for editorial writers I've gone from 10th place to the championship round (it's a head-to-head league with playoffs). I'm leading the championship game -- barely. I need to hang on for one more day to win that league. I don't know if I can.

Finally, there's the Pee Dee League I've been in for several years. I'm going to finish a pitiful eighth out of 10 teams. I just couldn't get it going in that league this year. I still don't know what went wrong.

But as Meatloaf once said, "Two out of three ain't bad."

Actually, I'm glad the season is ending. It's tiring and I need to focus on fantasy football.

Nice Harley group, bad timing

I was driving back to Shelby on Friday morning and got behind a group of impressive Harley-Davidson motorcycles around Gastonia. I believe they were from a Michigan chapter based on the logos they were wearing.

I don't know why they were in Gastonia. It could have had something to do with the Harley store there and the fact that Click Baldwin owned it. I really don't know. At some point between I-85 and U.S. 74, all of us got stuck behind a chicken truck. I found it annoying with feathers flying everywhere. I know this group really had to find it annoying because on a motorcycle you don't have the protection to keep feathers from flying in your face. Fortunately, they got around the chicken truck rather quickly. They also seemed far more patient than myself.

All I know is after staring at these really plump chickens crowded in their cages it really put me in the mood for a juicy steak.

I will say this Harley group was decked out in some impressive equipment. They blow the tired old stereotype of motorcycle groups right out the window. My hat is off to them.

Rock legend dies

I've always dreamed that rock band Pink Floyd would reunite one day. That can never happen now. Founding member Richard Wright has died after a battle with cancer. I hope he'll be remembered as a great keyboardist to a legendary band, not as the guy who was pushed out after The Wall was recorded. I did get to see him in concert in Raleigh when I was in college.

Those wacky opening ceremonies for the Olympics

I've actually watched some of the Olympics this year, more than I usually do. But it seems like scandal after scandal is coming out of that spectacular opening ceremony. For days, everybody talked about how cool it was. Then came the fake singer, then some fake fireworks. Now there are news reports that they used actors to play ethnic minorities in the opening ceremonies. At least the athletes are real ... I think.

If Milli Vanilli take the court for China in doubles tennis, I'm done.

Skip Foster throws out the first pitch -- and doesn't mess it up

Here's video of my boss, Star Publisher Skip Foster, throwing out the first pitch at one of the American Legion Southeast Regional tournament games on Thursday. I'm sure he wouldn't want me to put this on my blog or the site, but I just couldn't stop myself. I lost the office pool that had him throwing the ball 10 feet over the catcher's head. We're sending the video to the Tampa Bay Rays to see if they have need for a pitching prospect:

Harry Potter fans are very, very mad

Reports are that "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" movie won't hit theaters at all this year. How about 2009?

Warner Brothers has pushed the film from Nov. 21, 2008 to July 17, 2009, according to Variety.

If it helps, in my opinion, this is the least filmmable of the books. Too many flashbacks.

Can 'The Dark Knight' sink all-time box office record?

Each day that passes brings a new box office record for "The Dark Knight." The more interesting records are in the future. It should hit the $300 million mark within its first 11 days. That would also be a record. At the same time, it'll overtake "Iron Man" as the year's most successful movie. It has already made more at the box office than "Batman Begins" did in its entire theatrical run.

Will "The Dark Knight" overtake the all-time record at the box office set by "Titanic." I don't think so. It would have to cross the $600 million mark in the U.S. This is a dark, brooding film that's not particularly kid friendly. I liked the movie, but it's not for small children.

Also of note is the film entered the Imdb.com top 250 at No. 1. I've never seen No. 1budge on this highly subjective poll of moviegoers. The closest movie to get near No. 1 in recent years was "Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King." And it didn't make it.

"The Dark Knight" will be the No. 1 movie of 2008. It will make the top 10 overall in box office history, perhaps the top 5. It might topple "Star Wars" on the list at No. 2 all-time. But I don't think it will sink "Titanic." But we'll just have to wait and see.

The best TV show you've probably never seen

It's hard to find. But a little-known TV show out of England towers over virtually anything you'll find on TV these days. "Foyle's War" focuses on the homefront in England as the the country finds itself under seige during World War II. Despite the focus on the war, a lot of bad things are still happening on English soil.

The seasons of this show are extremely short -- about four, 90-minute episodes each. It actually falls under the mystery genre as there is a death or two in every episode. DCS Foyle is a brilliant detective with a unique knack for solving these mysteries. Trying to figure it out yourself is part of the fun. The series is in its sixth season. PBS is airing the fifth season now.

PBS picks it up as part of "Masterpiece Mystery." The show comes from ITV, not the BBC (frankly, I haven't quite figured out who's who in British television). For some reason the future is somewhat hazy for this well-respected series. I just know it's good television. Although it's difficult to find, you can rent it from some video stores or Netflix it.

The only knock on the show is many episodes tend to introduce too many characters. Sometimes it takes a little while to get things figured out as to who is who. But it's worth the effort.

Batman movie makes history

The Batman sequel, "The Dark Night," made history as the highest-grossing movie opening of all time -- around $65 million on Friday alone. It may break the record for the highest three-day opening as well.

It needs to beat "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," a dreadful film, and "Spider-Man 3," not as dreadful but not as good as the first two Spidey movies.

The cool thing about this is that the first movie was a slow builder. The previous Batman franchise had turned off fans so much that few trusted "Batman Begins." But word of mouth spread about how good it was and the box office numbers built up over time.

With the trust now fully restored, "The Dark Knight" should continue to make history. And I still haven't seen it. I'm going to wait until the crowds are down.

Taylor Hicks sports a devoted fanbase

Fellow blogger Adam Fenwick simply made the mention of Taylor Hicks in his blog one day, and the blog literally exploded in a heated debate with passionate arguments on both sides of the issue. It was interesting to watch as this pro-and-con debate unfolded.

Taylor Hicks, the 2006 winner of "American Idol," obviously has a loyal group of fans. He also has a fair amount of critics. I haven't heard much of the music of Taylor Hicks, but I can't see the point in actively seeking to tear him or anyone else down. I don't watch "American Idol." It's just not for me. But a lot of folks I know or work with follow it closely, never missing an episode. I will admit I did watch some of the episode last year that featured cover versions of Beatles songs.

But I digress. If Mr. Hicks makes his fans happy with his music, more power to them and him. Who can really argue with that? If everyone liked the same music and singers, there would be few choices out there and the music scene would be quite dull. Variety is the key -- something for everyone. How else can you explain Graham Cawthon's inclusion of A Flock of Seagulls in his weekly music column?

Did anyone catch the Batman movie?

Did anyone catch the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight"? Did anyone like the Batman movie? There was a midnight showing, but I'm getting too old for that sort of thing. The movie appears to be darker than the first one. But the reviews are through the roof. It's really one of the best reviewed movies of the year so far. I want to see it in the worst way. I'm just not going to rush out. Feel free to post what you think of the movie here.

The good, the bad and the Uggla

The good, the bad and the Uggla: This was the joke we were tossing around about the All-Star game that lasted forever. I don't usually watch this thing, but it got interesting when it looked like they were going to run out of pitchers. If the game had continued, we would have had third-baseman David Wright pitching as well as outfielder J.D. Drew. These guys are good, but they aren't pitchers.

There were a few other interesting things about the All-Star break. Second-base All-Star Chase Utley shamed my fantasy team by saying a major boo-boo on national TV during the home-run derby. We're talking the grandfather of bad words. Remember "A Christmas Story." In this case, however, he completed the word. Didn't he notice the microphone on his uniform? ESPN blushed. Utley has always come across as a down-to-earth guy that hasn't let his success go to his head. He has apologized, but this will hurt his image with some. A little humility could go a long way -- and a few more home runs.

Then there's the horrible game from Dan Uggla. His errors kept piling up in the game despite the fact that he hasn't had that many in the regular season. He had an ugly game.

Then there's the booing of Jonathan Papelbon, the great Boston closer. He should take it as an honor. He was playing in Yankee Stadium. What did he expect? A gracious welcome. They boo their own players there. Who cares what the New York tabloids say about him? He's a great closer for a team I hate.

The best story is the emergence of Josh Hamilton, a former first pick in the draft who fell into a life of drug addiction and fell completely out of baseball. He has battled back through a strong support system and his strong faith in God. He won over a tough Yankee Stadium crowd at the home-run derby and won the hearts of millions. You can blame him for getting into drugs if you want. That's fair. But why not praise him for leaving that life behind and reclaiming glory on the baseball field. I can't wait for someone to make a movie about this remarkable story.

They'll be no movie about Dan Uggla: This Florida Marlin standout flopped like a fish out of water.

A block party in Shelby

Patton Oaks held its annual block party on Tuesday night. Residents lined up for hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, and a large selection of treats. The block party has become a tradition at Patton Oaks and residents enjoy getting out, talking to each other and taking advantage of the food and fellowship.

Kidney for sale: Scam or truly desperate person?

Needless to say, we get a lot of strange e-mails here at The Star. I got one today offering to sell me a kidney for $250,000. Is this a scam or a truly desperate person? I think I'll write a full column on this one. For now, here's the text of the e-mail (I didn't correct the grammar):

"I am an Indian & 38 years old. Clean habit and pure vegetarian.

My Blood Group is B+. I am offering my kidney for a price of US $ 250,000
(Two hundred & fifty thousand US Dollars). Only genuine buyers who are able to pay the asking price are requested to contact me.

My kidney would be sold on a first come, first serve basis. I have a pasport,

In case interested please contact me on my email address. About the price, it is not negotiable. Hope to hear from you."

Early reviews for 'The Dark Knight'

Early reviews for "The Dark Knight," the Batman sequel debuting on July 18, are basically love letters. Critics say it plays more like a top-notch crime drama that happens to take place in the context of a superhero movie. They also say it's dark, really dark. It's rated PG-13 and probably wouldn't interest anyone younger.

Fear of the snakehead fish

This is a column I wrote about a snakehead fish I once owned. The picture is a government picture, not my snakehead. I had heard there were a lot of snakehead videos on youtube, but most of them were gory and disturbing -- definitely not for general audiences. Here's the photo followed by the column:



More than a decade ago, I bought a cute little fish at a pet store. The store labeled it a red snakehead. It was a unique looking fish, fairly inexpensive - and kind of cute.

He (actually I don't really know what sex it was) had an unusually healthy appetite, so I named him Hoover, even though he was only a couple inches long at the time. People remarked what an active, unique fish I had in Hoover. Shortly thereafter, everything went downhill rather rapidly. Hoover ate everything I gave him. He started to grow at an alarming rate. Then Hoover's fellow aquarium mates, who he had outgrown, started to mysteriously disappear - all of them except for one. As I started to feed Hoover one day I watched in horror as he ate his remaining tankmate whole. At this point I saw his teeth for the first time.

Hoover continued to grow and then he started to jump. Some days I would come home and the floor and wall would be covered in water that had splashed out. Other days I would come home and Hoover would be on the floor staring at me. Reportedly, they can breathe air. I would pick him up with the aid of a net and place him back into the aquarium. The escapes continued and he would even shred the nets.

By the time Hoover grew to be about 2 feet long, frankly, I was scared of him. I had a nightmare of him jumping in my bed and biting a toe off. I went back to the pet store and begged them to take him back. I didn't want any money. I just wanted Hoover out of my life. They agreed. Hoover found a new home - and I was free.

Years have since passed and the snakehead species has found itself in the news for all the wrong reasons. It appears other unlucky owners took a different path. They released their snakeheads in rivers and ponds. As it turns out, this is an invasive species of fish in the United States and there is little in the ecosystem to keep them in check.

Eventually, government bans sought to curb importing and selling of these fish, which are native to Asia. There are many varieties of snakeheads. Based on what research I could find, I believe Hoover was something nicknamed a giant snakehead. The northern snakehead has also been particularly troublesome to wildlife officials. If you happen to snag one of these fish, most officials now recommend one thing - kill it.

All of these memories came flooding back this week while I watched a National Geographic special on "Fishzilla: Snakehead Invasion." They've also been called "Frankenfish." Back when I bought Hoover, few - if any - knew what a problem these fish would become.

Here's how the program guide described them: "It's got teeth like a shark, a taste for blood, and even walks on land. It is an insatiable alien predator that can obliterate the food chain and overpower native life. Scientists are sounding the alarm. But can anything stop it?"

I think a lot of the stories on the snakehead have been exaggerated - fish tales so to speak. The Sci-Fi Channel even aired a horror movie on snakeheads. It was atrocious and went way over the top. But there's no doubt this is one scary fish. As for Hoover, I never found out what happened to him. In the end, as far as I know, he ended up at the same place I bought him - a pet store.

Does 'Blood Done Sign My Name' meet the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon test?

This is in honor of Kevin Bacon's 50th birthday (we're all getting old) brought to my attention by ESPN (of all sources).

OK, "Blood Done Sign My Name," which filmed in Shelby recently, stars Rick Schroder, who starred with James Gandolfini in "Crimson Tide." Gandolfini was in "All The King's Men" with Sean Penn. Penn was in "Mystic River" with ... Kevin Bacon. Done.

Those fireworks are really loud

Apparently the high price of gas hasn't hurt the fireworks industry. People are setting off fireworks throughout area neighborhoods this weekend. It sounds like cannon fire near my house right now ... and it's getting louder despite the lateness of the hour. It's going to be a long, annoying night. Maybe folks are buying the stronger fireworks in South Carolina and bringing them here. For the record, that's not exactly legal. Possession of illegal fireworks is a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 and/or 30 days to six months in jail. Of course the ones purchased in North Carolina are perfectly legal.

Animal lovers: Are these fireworks driving you crazy?

When I was a kid I loved buying and setting off fireworks. My friends and I always did so for the Fourth of July. But right now I have two petrified dogs who seem tormented by all the noise. It's going to be a long weekend for people who own pets that don't like loud noises. I'm patient about it because kids will be kids. At least this only happens a couple times a year. People tend to buy a lot of fireworks for New Year's Eve as well. I wish they sold animal earplugs.

One seriously strange baseball game

Somehow the L.A. Angels pitched a no-hitter (that won't count as a no-hitter) against the Dodgers but lost the game anyway. An error was called against the pitcher, but it didn't look like an error. That led to a run for a team that didn't even record a hit. The pitcher throwing the no-hitter, Jered Weaver, got pulled from the game and didn't look happy about it. And to top it off, it won't even count as a no-hitter because the Angels only pitched eight innings since the Dodgers didn't need to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. Weaver will get the loss even though he didn't give up a hit -- at least officially.

And this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Reportedly, there have been five games now where a team has won without recording a hit. You've got to love baseball.

Advance Batman tickets already selling out?

Apparently, in some places in the country, advance tickets for the Batman sequel, "The Dark Knight," are already selling out, particularly midnight showings. The movie doesn't hit theaters until July 17/18. Some theaters haven't started selling advance tickets for the movie yet.

The first movie in the new franchise, "Batman Begins," was successful at the box office, but it wasn't an early onslaught of activity. The movie became successful over time as word of mouth spread that it was actually good. The previous Batman series of movies had gotten increasingly silly. "Batman Begins" added edge to the new franchise.

A lot of folks, I suppose, also want to see the late Heath Ledger's final performance as The Joker. I hope interest in the movie goes beyond that one factor. I haven't been particularly impressed with this summer's movies so far. Perhaps Batman will turn out decent. It has a good director in Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the script.

Rutherford County hit hard by storm

Rutherford County was hit hard by a storm. Duke Energy reports 1,786 power outages. Most of the outages are in the extreme western part of Rutherford. Right now Cleveland County is surrounded to the west and south by thunderstorms, which will make their way through here.

http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=gsp&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no

Power outages from the storms

After storms rolled through the area Thursday night, Duke Energy reported several dozen power outages in Cleveland County and more than that in Rutherford County. As of early Friday, power had been restored to all but five residences in Cleveland County (according to information from Duke) and power had been restored to all the residences in Rutherford County. The mapping data was incomplete on the map, so I couldn't pinpoint where the outages took place aside from the numbers themselves. Mecklenburg County was hardest hit. It was still reporting several hundred outages early Friday.

Interesting Fourth of July facts, including the number of hot dogs eaten

Here are some interesting facts about the Fourth of July, according to History.com, which used the Census Bureau as a source for a lot of the information:

– The estimated amount of hot dogs eaten by Americans on the Fourth is 150 million.
– The fireworks imported from China into the United States were valued at $216 million, in 2006.
– Japan purchases more fireworks than any other country.
– The number of U.S. residents was projected to be 302 million by July 4, 2007.
– There are five places in the United States with the word "freedom" in their name.

Source: History.com, Census

America's top choices in DVDs for 2007

According to information from the Entertainment Merchants Association (and my thoughts in parenthesis):
- The number-one DVD seller in 2007 was "Happy Feet" (Why?)
- "The Departed" led the rental charts (Cool, I own that one. It's great. But it's really violent and kids should stay far away.)
- "High School Musical 2" was the best selling TV on DVD title (I would rather eat tinfoil than watch this. I would rather have my fingernails ripped out one by one than watch this.)
- "300" was the leading high-definition disc movie (Too much yelling in this movie for me, but it would translate well to high-definition because the special effects were impressive.)

A second opinion on fantasy baseball

Emily Killian wrote this week about her fantasy baseball woes. I share her frustrations with this season, but it's too soon to give up.

I used to be a really good fantasy baseball player -- until this year. My teams all fell apart. I'm in three leagues, a keeper league that's been going for years, a head-to-head league and another league. I'm currently fifth out of 10 in two leagues and eighth in my beloved keeper league.

The biggest disappointment is that keeper league. I had built up a great team until this year. I was the one who got Chase Utley (pictured above) from the free agent pool years ago, before he was a full-time starter. He's a particularly valuable fantasy player because he plays second base, where the talent pool isn't that strong. I was the one who knew David Wright was going to be a star. I was the one who knew Adam Dunn was worth it despite the poor batting average. I still have all those players.

But I'm also the idiot who insisted that Andruw Jones was due for a comeback year (he's on the DL). I'm also the idiot who knew Paul Konerko was going to have another great year (he's also on the DL). Both of them have a pitiful batting average and their power numbers have taken a dive. I'm also the one who chose to keep mainly offensive players (we only protect 10 players from year to year) and let my pitchers go.

The end result is a team with lots of power, no steals and no pitching. I've won this league twice in the past four or five years. This year I'm battling to stay out of the cellar. But I'll never give up. That's the good thing about fantasy baseball. If you're in sixth place, just set your new goal at fifth place and celebrate the small victories, kind of like the Atlanta Braves have to do.

Despite the frustrations, I'll never quit playing fantasy baseball. It's not as popular as fantasy football, but it's more fun and a lot more challenging. If this is Emily's first year, she should give it another try next year. You can't predict injuries and it takes a year or two to get a feel for it. I've also seen teams skyrocket from worst to first after the All-Star break. It's a marathon, not a sprint. And just like the Mets, there's always next year.

There's an industry springing up around fantasy sports. The hobby is also becoming more mainstream in nature, particularly NFL fantasy football.

Inmates working

I had a lot of driving to do this morning and noticed it's a big day for inmates working. There was a fairly large crew working along U.S. 74 between Shelby and Kings Mountain. I've seen them in this area fairly often. When I got back to Shelby, there was a team working near a park area off Graham Street, along the creek area near the basketball courts.

People actually eat this stuff?

I had to evacuate The Star building at lunch. Jackie Bridges had some kind of chicken and spinach mess in the breakroom. The smell was starting to melt the computers. It looked like some kind of frozen dinner surprise. It makes me nostalgic for the days when people would simply burn the popcorn in the microwave.

I miss those plastic CD covers

I realize that more and more people are getting their music in a digital, online format. I have my iTunes account and buy songs that way from time to time. But I like a hard copy, so to speak, of my CDs. That's why I find it annoying that more new releases are using cardboard slipcovers as the only CD packaging. What happened to those nice plastic covers that break all the time? I miss those. Are they going away completely?

Tragedy out of Haywood County as a trooper was killed in the line of duty

Some really tragic news came out of Haywood County, where a trooper was shot and killed. This is just west of Asheville.

Here is the press information from the N.C. Highway Patrol:

Trooper David Blanton Jr. (pictured above), 24, was shot and killed in the line of duty last evening during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 in Haywood County.  Trooper Blanton joined the North Carolina Highway Patrol on May 11, 2006.  His most recent assignment was to Haywood County.
 
Trooper Blanton is the 59th trooper to die in the line of duty since the formation of the Highway Patrol in 1929.  He is the first trooper to be fatally assaulted since 1997.
 
Trooper Blanton grew up in Sylva, N.C., where he graduated from Smokey Mountain High School in 2002.  His first North Carolina Highway Patrol duty station was Waynesville.    
 
Trooper Blanton leaves behind a wife and child.

Here is further press information on the suspect in the case:

Law enforcement officers have charged Edwardo Wong II age 37 with First Degree Murder in the death of Trooper David Blanton Jr. 

Wong has an Ormond Beach, Florida address and told officials he was traveling from Tennessee.  He has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions for felony assault on law enforcement officers, felony drug violations, felony possession of a firearm and others. 

Wong is being held in the Haywood County Jail without bail. 

How do you rent your movies?

Some folks use stores such as Family Video or Blockbuster to rent movies. Others use Netflix to rent by mail. Video on demand through cable or satellite services is starting to offer more and more movies the same day they are released on DVD. Some people just buy the DVDs. Some people buy on iTunes. Set-top box, TV delivery and computer delivery are seen by some as the future. The market is in a state of flux right now. There are also kiosks and rentals at many grocery stores. For now, options abound.

We're still in an extreme drought, air quality easing

According to the N.C. Drought Monitor, we're still in an extreme drought. This classification includes Cleveland and surrounding counties. We're not in the worst classification, which is exceptional drought. On a brighter note, the code orange days in air quality appear to be behind us for a little while. We're now forecast to be in a code yellow, although frankly, I can't tell the difference.

Here's a link the the drought determinations:

http://www.ncdrought.org/

'We have multiple Dradis contact'

People make fun of me, but I don't care. I like the new version of "Battlestar Galactica," which just concluded it's mid-season finale on Friday night.

It's a good show that hides political commentary from today's headlines in a science fiction show. It gets away with things other shows can't because it's all masked in a science fiction show.

I agree that the show ABC aired decades ago was garbage. But this new show is entirely different. It's moody, thought provoking and well written.

The evil Cylons have also changed. They evolved from the robots from the first series to the woman pictured above in the current series. Now that's progress.

"Hulk" wins, but "The Happening" performs well

Following up on my last post, "The Incredible Hulk" finished the weekend at almost $55 million. That's good but it'll need another good weekend to finish ahead of the last attempt at this franchise. I missed my prediction by $5 million, which isn't too bad.

"The Happening," (pictured above) the film critics are begging people to hate, finished at almost $31 million. That's a good number that proves people like to decide for themselves what to see. It'll also need a good second weekend to keep any momentum going.

"The Incredible Hulk" vs. "The Happening"

This weekend at movie theaters it's a showdown pitting "The Incredible Hulk" vs. "The Happening," M. Night Shyamalan latest.

Buzz is bad on "The Happening," and a little better on "The Hulk." I'm predicting "The Hulk" pulls in about $50 million from Friday to Sunday. I also think it will roughly double what "The Happening" brings in. After all, some folks are dubbing M. Night as "Shyamalamabigbomb." Although frankly, I'm more interested in seeing his film than "The Hulk" right now. I liked the first attempt several years ago to bring "The Hulk" to the big screen. It was stylish and moody.

Plus, I always get suspiscious when critics seem to want to line up against a movie, like any movie M. Night makes. It's almost like they're are scared to say anything good about him for fear they'll look bad to other critics.

Help, he's killing this plant

City Editor Graham Cawthon won this plant at the recent United Way banquet. He was a big part of The Star's successful campaign. Now they are sitting on his desk, dying. At some point plants need water to live. Of course, I only have plastic plants in my house because I don't like watering things either. There's a plant in my office (I don't know who put it there), but Donna Roddy at The Star keeps it watered because I never will.

What happened to my ice cream?

I've eaten better in Cleveland County than I ever did when I lived in Gaston County. More specifically, I eat more in Cleveland County than I did in Gaston County. I really have a weakness for ice cream, so perhaps it's a good thing that my ice cream is shrinking. I bought the larger container two weeks ago and when I went back to get another container last week, well, there was a little less ice cream.

Hey, there's a food crisis going on. And the ice cream was still good.

You won't find 'Swingtown' here -- ever

A watchdog group is taking aim at the TV show "Swingtown." That's why I've gotten about 20 identical, word-for-word letters from residents accusing us of violating our FCC license and urging us not to air future episodes. There are just a few problems here. We're not a CBS affiliate, we're not regulated by the FCC and we've never aired "Swingtown." And I can promise this: We'll never, ever air "Swingtown."

Here's one of the letters:

Dear Shelby Star:

I am offended by the content of the CBS program "Swingtown." The
offensive content clearly violates our local community standards and does
not reflect your license obligation "to serve the public interest."

I urge you to refuse to air future episodes of "Swingtown."

I also ask you to place a copy of my complaint in your files according to
FCC regulations.

Spotty rain and more power outages

The rain, at least in Shelby, was bizarre on Tuesday afternoon. It started with the sun shining. As I was driving up U.S. 74, it was raining on one side of the road, but not the other. Some parking lots were getting rain. Others a few feet away didn't get anything. Then came the thunder. Duke Energy reported a couple areas of power outages. One area was located between Shelby and Fallston. A second area was between Patterson Springs and Earl, but closer to Patterson Springs. In total, there were 59 outages from Duke Energy in Cleveland County. It could have been worse. Chester County in South Carolina reported 1,165 outages on Tuesday. This all follows Monday's outages in the Grover area. There were more than 1,200 without power. Those have since been restored.

The infamous snake, of course, led to a large outage in Shelby on Saturday night.

I can hear that helicopter

I had a great day off on Monday. But crime never takes a day off. I can hear the search for the escaped man as I write this. "A helicopter is being used in the search," according to our story.

The helicopter is making circles over my neighborhood and then moving north before circling back. It kind of makes me not want to let the dogs out to use the bathroom. They might just have to wait until morning.

Clint Eastwood's Josey Wales: A libertarian?

Just saw "The Outlaw Josey Wales" for the first time. I can't believe I had skipped this Clint Eastwood classic up to now. It's Eastwood playing the tough-as-nails guy who really isn't all that bad. He just can't keep the government, and its agents, out of his life.

To demonstrate that Josey Wales had some libertarian thoughts:

Josey Wales: Dying ain't so hard for men like you and me, it's living that's hard .... Governments don't live together, people live together. With governments you don't always get a fair word or a fair fight.

Indian chief: It's sad that governments are chiefed by the double-tongues.

There are enough good lines in this movie to keep Gabe Whisnant (who speaks in movie lines) in business for a month. My favorite lines:

- "Not a hard man to track. Leaves dead men wherever he goes."

-Josey Wales: When I get to likin' someone, they ain't around long.
Another character: I notice when you get to DISlikin' someone they ain't around for long neither.

- Bounty hunter: You're wanted, Wales.
Josey Wales: Reckon I'm right popular. You a bounty hunter?
Bounty hunter: A man's got to do something for a living these days.
Josey Wales: Dyin' ain't much of a living, boy.

There are even better lines, but the language prohibits its inclusion here.

Outlandish theory on the power outage

Officials weren't exactly definitive or detailed on the reason for the power outage on Saturday night. As we sat in the dark wondering if we were going to actually get a newspaper published, someone joked that perhaps an angry, homeless squirrel threw himself into a transformer to protest the loss of his tree, cut down by work crews, ironically, to prevent such power outages.

Hey, it seemed funny at the time. I guess you had to be there.

A promising new album arrives

One of the best reviewed albums so far this year is a self-titled debut CD from a band called Fleet Foxes. They are based out of Seattle, the city that brought us Nirvana. But this album has various musical influences and I believe is more indy in nature. The Guardian says, "It all adds up to a landmark in American music, an instant classic." Rolling Stone says "the Foxes stuff their free-form songs with rich, swirling melodies; billowing clouds of organs, tom-toms, bells and assorted stringed instruments cloak group vocals whose ... suede-fringed precision owes plenty to Crosby, Stills and Nash."

I've only heard a few songs, but I've ordered it to see what all the fuss is about. I've been disappointed with much of the music of 2008 so far. This one gives me hope that the year in music can be redeemed. It might be on the arty side, but at this point I'm willing to risk it. I'll let you know if it's good or just fizzles out like everything else this year.

Summer movies: The theaters are cool. Are the movies?

Here's what upcoming the the parade of summer movies:

June 6:

Kung Fu Panda: It's animated. The kids might love it. And it does feature the summer's funniest movie title.

June 13:
The Incredible Hulk (pictured): Everyone hated the last attempt at this franchise. I thought it was pretty good -- kind of a thinking person's superhero movie. This new one promises more action and less brooding.

The Happening: M. Night Shyamalan was the "it" director after "The Sixth Sense" and to a lesser degree, "Signs." Many people hated "Lady in the Water." I really liked the "The Village," which drew mixed reviews. This new one is rated R. I don't really know what to expect with this one. But I think Shyamalan is a good director who doesn't deserve some of the things that have been said about him and his movies.

June 20:
Get Smart: No thanks, I'll pass.

June 27:
Wall-E: It's Pixar ... and Disney. It'll make a fortune. I'll never see it.

July 2:
Hancock: It's a different take on the superhero movie. It looks funny with Will Smith playing the reluctant superhero. The trailer looks promising. This will be the big holiday movie.

New albums (or CDs) headed to stores

There are some decent music releases coming out in the next month and some questionable ones as well.

June 10
- Jakob Dylan, “Seeing Things,” former member of the Wallflowers and current son of legend Bob Dylan
- Alanis Morissette, “Flavors of Entanglement.” Remember when she was cool? Didn’t think so.
- My Morning Jacket, “Evil Urges.” This band is about as cool as it gets. I can’t wait for this one. (band pictured above)

June 17
- Coldplay, “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.” They used to be cool, then they cooled off. This album might make them cool again. It’s a toss up.
- The Offspring, “Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace.” This band is so 1994 … and they tend to scream a lot.

June 24
- Nelly, “Brass Knuckles.” It will sell well.

Am I addicted to this stuff?

Ever since I was a little kid, I've had chapped lips to some degree. I've gone through every lip balm and product on the market. I think I'm now officially addicted to the stuff. This picture is just from my medicine cabinet. Any opinions about what's best? And no, I'm not going cold turkey on the Chapstick. But it does seem like I've gone a bit overboard.

Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth: The opera

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," the award-winning but controversial documentary on global warming, is being turned into an opera. Regardless of how you felt about the original documentary (my boss, for instance, isn't a fan), this clearly might be the worst opera ever produced. A stiff documentary just doesn't seem like good source material for an opera. What's next? Michael Moore sings the classics?

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jgUbEEXuh301jjs3gwfNHt4OfdYgD91055U80

At the age of 5 days, this animal can outrun a human?

According to information from the state, if you see a fawn, leave it alone.

This is from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission:

"At the peak of fawning season in May and June, people might see fawns left alone and assume they have been abandoned by the doe, but this is usually not the case. Whitetails are a “hider” species, which means the female will hide her fawn in vegetation during the first two or three weeks of its life as she feeds."

"The doe will return to the fawn several times a day to nurse and clean it, staying only a few minutes each time before leaving again to seek food."

An interesting fact from the state: When a fawn reaches the ripe old age of 5 days, it can outrun a human. Really? Is that true?

We're still in a drought

There isn't a lot of talk about it right now. But we're still in an exceptional drought, according to information from the state.

In fact, if you look at the link below it appears Cleveland County is right in the center of things -- dry things.

http://www.ncdrought.org/

For $8 this band will play for you

This is the last of my San Antonio material. At several Riverwalk restaurants people will offer to sing ... for a price. This man and his band would sing one song for $8. If you said no, they'd check back later to see if you changed your mind. Someone at my table finally broke down and paid. It was neither me nor the person pictured here to the left. That's eight songs on iTunes. However, the band was actually pretty good and it also added a festive mood to dinner. But $8? That's a bit much.

An extremely bizarre plane trip, dogs and vomit

I haven't traveled by air a great deal in my life, mainly because I don't like to fly. But my trip home from San Antonio qualifies as a bizarre airline experience. I couldn't get my seat assignment for some reason. When I finally managed to get an assigned seat 10 minutes before takeoff, the airline employee asked if I was allergic to dogs. I told her I love dogs. She said "good, because you're sitting beside a service dog." I figured it was a dog assisting someone with vision loss. I was wrong. When I got to my seat, I saw that the window seat was taken up by a government agent-looking man with a huge dog. The aisle seat was taken up by another government agent-looking man with yet another dog. My seat was right in the middle of the two men and their dogs. I asked them what the dogs were trained to do. They told me they sniff for things. I asked them what kind of things. They said, well, "bombs." They two men were extremely nice and told me about their 12 weeks of training in San Antonio. The dogs loved me, as you can see from the picture. At one point each one had their head propped up on my knee. By the end of the flight I was covered in dog hair, but I had a good time.

The dogs exited the plane on a layover in Dallas. At that point, I met up with Hunter Bretzius, the editor of The Gaston Gazette and a good friend. We were on the same plane as we had attended the same editors' conference. She also had a bizarre flight, but not in a good way. She told me the woman sitting beside her vomited everywhere. I can't imagine having to sit in such cramped quarters with vomit all around you. Hunter said the woman was chatty early on, started slowly reaching for the barf bag, and then emptied the contents of her stomach to the horror of all the other passengers. Hunter's a trooper and a pretty good sport. We compared our different but strange flying experiences. Unfortunately, after our layover Hunter had to go back to same seat. I believe they got it cleaned up. I'm going to write a full column on this flying experience, but I'm pretty wiped out at the moment. I have to kick my jet lag first. But it's great to be back in Shelby.

A visit to The Alamo

I was told by many people not to miss the Alamo while in San Antonio. Since you can see it from my hotel window, I certainly didn't have an excuse. It's a somber, moving experience. One of the people who died, Micajah Autry, was from North Carolina. The people who fought and died were fighting for independence and freedom. They don't allow cameras inside the building as a show of respect. Here are some pictures I took outside and some links. The last link is the official site, but I can't get it to work.

www.alamocity.com/alamo/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alamo

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micajah_Autry

www.thealamo.org

Dog looking for drugs or something worse?

It's a bad photo, but this was the first thing I saw after getting off the plane in San Antonio. It's a dog apparently sniffing for drugs or something worse from a lineup of luggage. We couldn't decide if it was training or the real thing. Regardless, I guess I passed.

The birds want my lunch in San Antonio and those Spurs

I'm in San Antonio for a conference. The riverwalk is cool in a 97 degree kind of way. If you eat outside, some of the birds get pretty darn aggressive. This critter wanted my taco. He didn't get it. Actually, the riverwalk is pretty great, but it's loud at night. Actually, the city is erupting in a Spurs celebration. I'm going to need earplugs.

People ignore No Turn on Red signs

If you’re in the right-turn-only lane coming onto U.S. 74 (East Dixon Boulevard) near the shopping complex that houses the Chick-fil-A and Wal-Mart, there’s a no-turn-on-red sign (across from the complex with Kmart and IHOP).
We either have a little civil disobedience going on or no one notices the sign because people run it all the time. Why? Visibility is quite good at that intersection, at least during the day. It’s likely a combination of people not seeing the sign and people annoyed the sign is actually there. This is just an observation. If you get caught running it, well, you’ll get a ticket and all the insurance fun that comes with it.
There’s also a no-turn-on-red sign where Cherryville Road turns onto East Marion Street. That’s a tricky, double intersection of sorts. Regardless, people have actually blown their horns at me when I properly observe the sign there. My only guess with that one is some people aren’t seeing the sign because if you actually ran the light there, you’re faced with another light about 30 feet down Marion Street. The sign is located on that intersection for good reason.
Some of these signs make complete sense. The placement of others is a little more debatable. It's against the law, however, to run any of them. And finally, there are a couple intersections without signs that arguably could really use them because of poor visibility.

Oh no, the cable went out

When I got home from work on Friday, my Internet service was out and my Time-Warner Cable service was out as well. I went to call and realized that I pretty much use the Internet for everything. I had to search all over to find my phonebook. Representatives said there was an outage in the Shelby area, but they weren't specific on how widespread it was. Everything is back now so I can Google for phone numbers again.

'Prince Caspian' to slay box office

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" opens in theaters this weekend. It's almost certain to finish in first place. It's based on one of the books by beloved author C.S. Lewis. If you remember, the first film in this emerging series of movies bested a much more hyped film in Peter Jackson's "King Kong."

I'm sure the filmmakers would love to get a movie out of each book in "The Chronicles of Narnia," but I've read them and some of them just won't make good movies. This one, however, should make a terrific movie. Reviews have been largely positive. I expect this movie to be one of the biggest movies of the summer.

It's rated PG and targeting fantasy film lovers, family audiences, fans of the first film, young adults and people suffering from "Lord of the Rings" withdrawal. I don't know how intense the battle scenes are, but this movie might not work for small children. I would definitely recommend parental discretion.

For the record, the next film in this franchise will be "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." It won't hit theaters until 2010.

New Community Watch Group starting

Patton Oaks signed up on Tuesday night to be the newest Community Watch Group in Shelby. Shelby Police Crime Prevention Officer Shannon Porter represented the police department well, making a great impression on my neighbors by answering any and all questions posed to him in a straightforward, frank manner. I know people appreciated it. We just have to fill out a form or two and we're good to go.

This movie will be controversial

Controversial filmmaker Oliver Stone is making a movie about President George W. Bush that might get released before the election in November. The script leaked early and it's described as not exactly flattering in its portrayal. The movie is called simply "W."

This movie will spark all sorts of controversy, it might backfire on the filmmakers and it might divert the candidates from actually discussing the important issues in the election.

Tornado damaged my old neighborhood

I drove to Gastonia on Sunday for Mother's Day. The tornado that hit last Friday tore right through the Gardner Park neighborhood where I used to live before I moved to Shelby. This picture was taken two streets over from my former residence. It's an uprooted tree that pulled up a third of someone's yard. There was damage to homes and trees in the neighborhood. Off I-85 heading toward Belmont, there is a wooded area where the tops of at least a dozen trees were literally cut off.

No 'Speed Racer,' No

The big budget movie adaptation "Speed Racer" apparently crashed at the box office. According to boxofficemojo, the movie made less than $6 million on its opening day, putting it on pace to place third in its opening weekend. At this pace, its opening weekend likely will be around $20 million. For the sake of comparison, "Iron Man" made $35 million on its opening day and more than $100 million on its opening weekend.

Does this mean "Speed Racer" is a bad movie? No. It could mean that kids today don't relate to an adaptation of a Japanese anime series from the late 1960s. It might mean the marketing campaign for the movie didn't reach its target audience or didn't really know what target audience it was going for.

Were they targeting kids, teens, young adults?

The movie featured a good cast, good directors and a cool visual style. I guess that wasn't enough. With "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" opening next week, the future doesn't look bright for "Speed Racer."

What if the horror movie 'The Shining' was a family film?

I love the horror movie "The Shining." When I was a kid it scared me to death. Some creative person put together a recut version of the movie's commercial, making it sound like a feel-good family film. As a fan of the original movie, I think it's hilarious.

What kind of dog is this?

I'm stumped. Rocky was a rescue dog I adopted through a group called Project Halo a decade ago. They told me he was found as a 7-week-old puppy abandoned by the side of a highway with a chain wrapped around his neck. They suspect he was abused.

After I adopted him this tiny puppy grew into an 80-pound ball of fur.

And I still can't figure out this mixed-breed dog. He's very agile and can leap about 4 feet, loves to hunt and eat small animals such as birds, squirrels, chipmunks and even one unfortunate cat. His sense of smell encourages him to dig. He uses a paw to slap people. He's protective with watchdog sensibilities. He really doesn't like people, but he's very nice otherwise. When he sees a small animal or smells something in the ground, it's like he goes into a bloodthirsty trance and I can't reach him in that condition. He's extremely quiet and never makes a sound unless he sees a stranger and then he growls and barks uncontrollably. Finally, if another animal has been in the back yard, he knows it, even if the animal is long gone.

Anyone have an idea of the types of dog breeds that might make up Rocky?

Carolina Scribes group celebrates

The Carolina Scribes, an affiliate of the Cleveland County Arts Council, works to develop area writers.
On Thursday night, the group officially unveiled its first publication, "Hearts and Minds of Cleveland County," a collection that features the work of local writers. Group president Gilda Pruitt was quite pleased as several dozen people came out for the reception.
The project received financial support from the North Carolina Arts Council. The book will be offered at a number of locations in Cleveland County. Gilda will let me know when she has a list available of where you can purchase the book.
For the record, I'm on the editorial advisory board for the group.

The ailing light pole

Someone accidentally hit this light pole in The Star's parking lot. I swear it wasn't me.

I really don't like this intersection

Everyone has an intersection that really annoys them. I really don't like the intersection of Patton Drive and Graham Street in Shelby. I think there's a trigger on the traffic light, but if there is it only works about 5 percent of the time. Most of the time people wait and wait and wait, even though there aren't any cars on Graham at any given time. But hey, it gives me time to take a few photos, change the CD in my car, read a book.

Public Service Announcement -- from Star Wars

It's an old one, but a good one -- a public service announcement from a galaxy far, far away.

The summer movie shuffle

Summer movies finally got into full swing this past weekend when "Iron Man" hit around $100 million at the box office, not "Spider-Man" numbers, but not bad. The hit parade continues this weekend with "Speed Racer," based on the popular cartoon of long ago. Then on May 16, we get "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." It wasn't the second book in the series, but they are making it into the second movie quickly so the kids who starred in the first movie won't be 40 years old before it's made. On May 22, we get "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which will probably be the biggest movie of the summer. You have Harrison Ford, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. What else do you need?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. helping out the Navy

Join the Navy and you might just meet Dale Earnhardt Jr. That's the case in an unusual miltary recruitment effort. It will lead to the formation of the Dale. Jr. Division. See story link below.

http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-news/new-dale-jr-recruiting-program.html?col=1186032311124col=1186032311124

Dale Earnhardt Jr. signs a command ball cap for a sailor during his visit to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. This Navy photo is by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman John Suits.

Strange e-mails, UFOs, presidential candidates and legless lizards

We get a a lot of e-mail. One of the most unusual recent e-mails came from the X-Conference convention. Topics of this conference included "The connection between presidential candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton, and the UFO/ET issue," "The connection between President Bill Clinton and the UFO/ET issue," "The connection between other presidential candidates and the UFO/ET issue."

The X-Conference "focuses on the political, governmental and social aspects relating to extraterrestrial-related phenomena - exopolitics."

Exopolitics? That's a new one for me. It goes on to talk about an ongoing advocacy effort "seeking to end the government imposed truth embargo on formal acknowledgement of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race."

You can tell I was never a fan of "The X Files." But I'm a big enough movie fan to know there's a new "X Files" movie coming out this summer.

While not really strange, another e-mail proved to be at least interesting. It seems they discovered a new species in Brazil -- a legless lizard.

"The lizard, of the Bachia genus, resembles a snake due to its lack of legs and pointed snout, which help it move across the predominantly sandy soil formed by the natural erosion of the escarpments of the Serra Geral. Other suspected new species include a dwarf woodpecker (genus Picumnus) and horned toad (genus Proceratophrys)."

The information on the lizard is from Conservation International.

iTunes turns 5, the top 23 songs in my most-played list

iTunes just turned 5 this week. It’s amazing how Apple has helped transform the music industry and people’s music-buying habits in such a short time. It’s proof of just how fast things change. In honor of iTunes’ birthday, here are the 23 most played songs on my iTunes catalog of 2,695 songs or 7.5 days worth of songs:

1. Bob Dylan, “Workingman’s Blues No. 2” – He tackles everything from trade policies to workers’ rights to war to politics to relationships -- maybe. The lyrics can be interpreted in numerous ways. I could never get this song out of my head. It’s relaxing, thought provoking, addictive, unappreciated. It brings back memories of something I just can’t place. It’s haunting. This song comes from Dylan’s 32nd studio album, “Modern Times.”

2. Doves, “Catch the Sun” – The best song from this English group just never gets old.

3. Lightning Seeds, “Pure” – Harmless pop song

4. Bob Dylan, “Hurricane” – Dylan sets the scene in an almost cinematic fashion and the racial injustice he depicts will leave most people outraged. The song is also controversial (some folks don’t buy the innocence of the song’s subject) and Dylan doesn’t perform it in concert anymore. But as a protest song, this thing is pure poetry.

5. Dirty Pretty Things, “Bang Bang You’re Dead” – The mostly sober other half of The Libertines forms a new, better band.

6. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” – Actually, this is the only Beach Boys song I can stomach. But it’s just about perfect.

7. Lindsey Buckingham, “Countdown” – Buckingham broke up Fleetwood Mac to release the solo album that contains this song. In other words, it better be good … and it is.

8. The Beatles, “Across The Universe” – The movie with the same name brought a new generation a greater appreciation of The Beatles. But the original song still wins in a landslide.

9. Eddie Vedder, “Hard Sun” – When enough people see the movie masterpiece “Into the Wild,” both this song from the soundtrack and the movie itself will be considered masterpieces.

10. Robbie Robertson, “Showdown at Big Sky” – Formerly of The Band, Robertson went solo in the late 1980s and dropped us this classic.

11. Spoon, “The Underdog” – One of the most unappreciated bands around gave us this winner in their latest album. The song title pretty much describes this band.

12. Modest Mouse, “Float On” – This one grew on me slowly, but just won’t go away.

13. Bruce Springsteen, “The River” – You can’t deny the power and heartbreak of this song.

14. Arcade Fire, “Neighborhood No. 1” – This buzz band is better than the hype. I’ve bought this album (Funeral) for a number of people for Christmas or other occasions so others can discover them as well.

15. Muse, “Time is Running Out” – Some people describe them as Radiohead-light. I don’t think that’s quite fair.

16. Queen and David Bowie, “Under Pressure” – Long before Vanilla Ice ripped off this song and almost destroyed it, real music fans knew this was destined to be a classic.

17. Pink Floyd, “Hey You” – It’s the first song of the second CD of The Wall. When Roger Waters made a movie based on the album, he left this classic out of the movie. A DVD release restores it as a deleted scene.

18. Pink Floyd, “Nobody Home” – People thought it was funny when this heavy, heavy album actually sampled the character Gomer Pyle saying, “Surprise, surprise, surprise.”

19. Radiohead, “Karma Police” – In my book, this band can never equal what they did on the indispensable album, “OK Computer.” But it’s so good, I’ll buy everything they release with the hope that one day they will.

20. The Decemberists, “16 Military Wives” – This indy band lets people know what they think about the war in a pretty direct, melodic fashion.

21. Sufjan Stevens, “Chicago” – Although possibly the only song on the concept album Come on feel the Illinoise capable of breaking out to a larger audience, this indy/folk/alternative album has masterpiece written all over it.

22. Steely Dan, “Deacon Blues” – The duo sing, “Drink Scotch whisky all night long and die behind the wheel.” You think?

23. Aimee Mann, “Save Me” – Her music inspired Paul Thomas Anderson, who was recently nominated for an Oscar, to write the movie “Magnolia,” a great film that doesn’t work without the music.

What’s at the top of you iTunes most-played list? I'd love to know.

Remember the bear? The state offers advice

Remember the bear popping up throughout Cleveland County last year. Now we have the turkeys. But on the bear issue, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has issued a statement on dealing or not dealing with bears in Western North Carolina. By the way, if you see a bear, give us a call.

Part of the statement from the state

"With the number of bears ­– and people – increasing in the western part of the state, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is warning people not to feed animals, either purposely or inadvertently, that wander into residential areas.

"While black bears are rarely aggressive toward people, they can become bold when they are used to feeding on human-provided foods, such as garbage and bird seed.

"Over the past decade, the commission has received a 70 percent increase in the number of complaints of human-bear conflicts in western North Carolina, including bears rummaging through trash cans, tearing down bird feeders, peering in doors and windows and frightening homeowners.

"However, many of the incidents, most of which occur in the spring and summer, can be resolved if residents take just a few simple steps.

"They include:
Secure bags of trash inside cans stored in a garage, basement or other secure area, and place outside as late as possible on trash pick-up days – not the night before.
Purchase bear-proof garbage cans or bear-proof your existing garbage container by outfitting it with a secure latching system.
Discontinue feeding wild birds during spring and summer, even with feeders advertised as "bear proof." Bears can still be attracted to seed that spills on the ground.
Do not "free-feed" pets outdoors. If you must feed pets outdoors, make sure all food is consumed.
Clean all food and grease from barbecue grills after each use. Bears are attracted to the food odors and may investigate."

Ready or not, 'Grand Theft Auto' hits stores

Today’s the day. “Grand Theft Auto IV” hits stores and eager kids and adults alike will want a copy. Parents should keep in mind that this game is rated M for mature, which is intended for those 17 and over.

This title, which has picked up some of the best reviews I’ve ever seen a game receive, is the video game equivalent to a rated-R movie. It’s sure to be controversial, attract a lot of positive and negative attention and sell millions of copies. But this thing is for adults.

It’s available only on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and the realism level will hit a new high for the series. Imagine the movie “The Departed,” where it’s easier to count the survivors than the victims, as a video game and you’re getting the right idea on the level of violence.

My nephew is 16 and I know he’s already lobbying my sister for a copy. She’ll call me up and ask for my opinion and I’ll say … actually I’m not sure yet.

Hey, presidential candidates: What about here?

Day after day, I receive e-mail after e-mail on these presidential campaigns and candidate visits to North Carolina. We haven't even gotten Chelsea to show up in Cleveland County. It seems to me, at least, a smart candidate would see Cleveland County has had a number of economic challenges in recent years. People might be receptive to listening ... if someone shows up.

My latest e-mail includes Bill Clinton hitting 11 cities and towns in the state, none of them in Cleveland County.

"The Clinton campaign today announced new details of President Bill Clinton’s visit to the Tar Heel State this Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30. Clinton attends “Solutions for America” events in Boone, North Wilkesboro, Elkin, and Mt. Airy on Tuesday, and in Apex, Sanford, Lillington, Dunn, Hope Mills, Lumberton, and Whiteville on Wednesday."

Have fun in Dunn.

Waiting on the light

We ran a letter to the editor in the past six months over the lack of a right turn lane where Dekalb Street meets Grover Street across from the hospital.

I always had good luck there until today, when I was really busy -- and the road was really busy. I found myself behind a bunch of cars waiting to make a right turn, but they were all blocked. At least I got through in one cycle of the light instead of missing the light and having to wait again. And I also had time to take a picture.

Good TV, but where's the sound?

I actually watch PBS. I don't really know a lot of folks who do, but it's a nice option to have in the face of shows such as "American Idol," "Survivor" and "American Gladiator," network TV's vision of primetime viewing.

An example of how good PBS can be is "The War," the recent documentary series by Ken Burns focusing on World War II. He's the guy who got famous after putting together the Civil War documentary as well.

PBS started airing another documentary Sunday night, "Carrier." It's about the USS Nimitz as it heads toward the Persian Gulf and the war. I DVR'd part one on UNC HD, but the voicetrack was missing for the first 40 minutes. Was it the TV, the recording, the cable, UNC HD, PBS? I'll never know what went wrong, but it's going to be tough to get into a 10-hour documentary after missing almost the first hour. We'll see.