Doppelgänger: Stan Smith v. Speech Card Guy

On the left is Stan Smith from Seth MacFarlane's American Dad animated series. He works for the feds, so he knows about guns and has fighting skills, and plus he has that huge chin, so you would think he is tough... but actually he always comes off as whiny and set in his ways, or basically an out-of-touch wimp. Probably because he is supposed to be an America-loving conservative Christian, though almost none of his actions portray someone who is convicted and living up to the standard set by Jesus. Plenty of storylines have Stan being convinced or somehow whipped into changing his "intolerant" and old-fashioned ways.

 

On the right is a speech cue card for elementary school students. The "ch" sound is used to pronounce "chin." We know nothing of Speech Card Guy's convictions. But at least he is helping children in some small way, unlike Stan...

 

 

The doppelgänger  pages

 

 

College's Conference Pride is Sick and Dying

Does the idea of college conferences matter in basketball anymore?

Up through the 1990s, naturally it was a source of pride for a fan when his favorite college team was stacked. A North Carolina Tarheel was happiest with a win over Duke. Any combination of games involving Connecticut, Syracuse, and Georgetown made for revelry.

But conference pride existed, too. UNC beating a ranked Syracuse team from the Big East, for example, was almost as sweet. Especially if it happened in the tourney. 

There used to be a running debate about which conference was better and deeper. That argument came to a head from the 1980s through the turn of the century -- the ACC and Big East seemed to almost take turns winning NCAA tournament titles.

Now Syracuse is part of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Texas A & M is in the SEC, and Utah has landed with the Pac-12 (which used to be the Pac-10, I mean the Pac-8).

***

The so-called "BCS" conferences... or the

"major six"... or what-have-you... have all shifted in the last fifteen years. A high school sports fan doesn't know about John Thompson's Georgetown teams battling with Dean Smith and UNC; has little clue of the regional angst between observers and local media. The world is more interconnected and smaller, which is why a midwest college joining a conference on either coast isn't as strange as it once may have been.

There is an idea floating around that, within the next decade, the power conferences (read: the money-makers) will break away from all other schools completely.

What does all of this mean? That it is silly to drag out arguments about the "toughest conferences" anymore. Most of the old rivalries are gone, at least for the foreseeable future.

***

Media and fans are trying to create new rivalries in an instant. But it seems forced. When top-ranked Syracuse and a talented Duke team faced off in February 2014, their first meeting as conference mates in the ACC, the game went into overtime and excited the fanatics. Within twenty-four hours, people were projecting a legendary contention that would last for the next decade.

We are trying too hard.

Slow down. We have to accept that the old days are gone. Media talking heads from the baby boomer generation can be heard complaining that the Duke-Maryland and 'Cuse-UConn battles have been

interrupted. They need to let it go.

We have to quit this smirking, "Well, Syracuse and Pittsburgh came into the ACC and are two of the top teams, what does that say about their new conference?... that they must not be that good!" It is all speculation.

This is supposedly and historically the BEST conference, and their good team lost to a "lesser" conference foe , therefore it is an upset and worthy of concern... is that "better" conference now falling away?...

What did best conference ever really mean, anyway? When anything depends on the decisions of sixteen- and seventeen-year-old boys as to what university that they will theoretically "attend", what does it mean?

It mean that your schools have the most money, which translates into better facilities, coaches, boosters, perks, exposure, and so on. That's all! There is no magical cloud or spirit that falls on a football SEC, or basketball ACC/Big East from a few years ago, that just makes them superior.

These schools attract better players and personnel because they have more "things" to offer... and from there, the myth builds upon itself, with some help from silly media and fanatics. Conference pride is a dead horse. We can't ride it anymore.

Dream Journal: Doctor Basketball

I am a six-foot-nine basketball phenom. Seem to be in high school and garnering the attention that great ball players get in the 21st century. News conferences, sycophants crowd me whereever I go, signing autographs... and of course dominating suckers on the court.

 

Years pass by. I am finishing college. People are now treating me with surprise and confusion. Why?

 

Because, even though I am in line to be the top pick in the NBA draft, poised to be the best player on the planet, I stayed in school four years. Not only that, but I make the announcement that I am foregoing a Hall of Fame basketball career. Everyone, including "loved ones," are shocked, even angry.

 

"I'm going to medical school," I tell media. No one can believe it at first but it's true. The fall that would have been my rookie year, I have enrolled in a northeast medical university.

 

More years fly by. I'm talking to smiling child patients and their parents, standing before them with a white coat and touch tablet...

 

 

Ultimate Sports Force: Basketball Stars Go 'Toon

This blog is basically a logging of all the stuff I've pack-ratted since childhood, carried around from town to town, and am now either trashing or re-using. We want to study everything from a Biblical point of view.

 In one box I pulled from storage, I found a comic book sponsored by the NBA. [-garbage bound-] This book is kind of like the ones you get for free in the cereal box.

 

The comic  turns basketball players into super-powered menaces who believe they're heroes. At least, that's what J. Jonah Jameson says.

 





The comic features stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Tracy McGrady and Elton Brand, the elite at the time of the book's 2004 publication. "Air and Space" is so generic that it's about as harmful as organic milk.

 

Any kid who likes this kind of cartoon already idolizes NBA players, so imagining Gilbert Arenas as a flying jumpsuit-wearing superhero is well-trod ground.

 

The super-ballers get their powers
from a mystical basketball. That's not a typo.

In the story, a team of twelve players take advice from a striking alien. The e.t. warns them of ugly creatures, his rivals, coming to attack Earth.

 

Turns out that the creatures are the good guys. Sure, this comic book is obviously a quick money grab. But the readers, if there were any kids who bought this, are taught that appearances can be deceiving--a biblical principle which goes down nicely.

 

John 7:24  Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

 

 

Redskins Name Debate: Sports False Flag

While searching for good images of a living and breathing Native American playing the part of a Washington Redskin mascot, it became obvious that the task would prove difficult. I kept running into photos of this guy:

Chief Zee

 
From the Power, Oppression, and Privilege in Sports website: Basically those of us who are calling for a change in these racist mascots are simply calling for respect!  Once again, political correctness is essentially a call for respect.  If it is hurtful to the group in question when you use certain terms (like the blatantly racist term Redskin) or when you use certain imagery, don’t do it!  It is hurtful!

This is an honorable attitude. But longtime Skin fan "Chief Zee" and arguments over sports names are irrelevant to those with the eyes to see.

Satan and his agenda are real. He is very capable at his task, which is to blind the minds of unbelievers, and keep them from receiving Jesus Christ as the only Savior.

2nd Corinthians 4:4, “In whom the god of this world hath BLINDED THE MINDS of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

***

All around us we are seeing an increase in New Age symbolism, one pastor wrote. It would seem we are being slowly indoctrinated into its philosophies supported by an acceptance of its symbols.

 

Consider the change from the "Washington Bullets" to "The Washington Wizards" with the symbols of a WIZARD (Warlock or male witch), a crescent moon, and swastika. In today's environment those symbols must be more politically correct than "bullets."

 

***

 

 “Symbolism is the language of the Mysteries ... By symbols men have ever sought to communicate to each other those thoughts which transcend the limitations of language. Rejecting man-conceived dialects as inadequate and unworthy to perpetuate divine ideas, the Mysteries thus chose symbolism as a far more ingenious and ideal method of preserving their transcendental knowledge. In a single figure a symbol may both reveal and conceal, for to the wise the subject of the symbol is obvious, while to the ignorant the figure remains inscrutable. Hence, he who seeks to unveil the secret doctrine of antiquity must search for that doctrine not upon the open pages of books which might fall into the hands of the unworthy but in the place where it was originally concealed.”

—Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, p. 20.

 

Some of our most well-known sports names and logos display this symbolism... the communication of antichrist spirits.

 

 

 

The Houston Texans logo puts this symbolism "language" in our faces. Notice the Baphomet-esque head, with horns... the right eye, represented by a star. This is just one example of the imagery surrounding us.

It's called hiding the truth in plain sight.

Tens of millions football followers, and very few take note of the demonic underpinnings of pro sports. Some know what's going on, and either embrace it or don't care. Sitting on the fence is dangerous in spiritual matters. The fence belongs to the devil.

 

***

The debate over the Washington Redskins mascot name is firing back up, after years of simmering on the coals. The president of the United States, Skins owner Daniel Snyder, media 'head Bob Costas and many others are stating their cases in public.

 

Any time we notice a minor issue like a professional sports team name making huge headlines, we should be suspicious. The Bible says several times, Be not deceived.

What does it mean? "Be not deceived." In this context, it warns us to keep our minds and hearts from focusing on issues like the Redskins debate. Sports are fine in their place, but should be low on our priority list.

Unfortunately, many people around the world have been deceived, immersing ourselves in entertainment fantasy worlds.

We're guilty of idolatry when it comes to sports and athletes. We're all idolaters, in some way. It's all about seeing this truth, admitting that it is in fact true, and repenting (turning away, or changing one's mind).

Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

To a Christian who has read his Bible with discernment, "Wizards" is more deadly than "Redskins." Partly because it seems innocent to the casual eye.

Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

 

Five Ways to Promote Your Indie Novel: Cap'n Random

For the indie writer, getting attention in a saturated market can be a challenge.

 

Here was my guerrilla marketing/promo for the 2013 short novel, "Cap'n Random"...

 

1. Buy a few reviews to be posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and other websites. You can find people to read your book and write (hopefully) honest reviews, for a fee. Fiverr is a freelance site where people perform a number of services, including book reviewing, starting at $5.

2. Make the book available for free, at least briefly, shortly after publication. Most independent writers know about Amazon's KDP platform, which lets us give the work away to gain publicity. Some conditions apply, such as giving Amazon exclusivity during the promo period. For me, this did not translate into more sales after the "giveaway" period. But hundreds of people downloaded Cap'n Random, which may spark some recognition in the future.

3. Do a Goodreads giveaway drawing. I sent three signed copies to the drawing winners. All three were international addresses. There is a "American only" type box and it will be checked, if I do another giveaway.

4. Sign up with a virtual book tour organizer. The well-connected writer can schedule his or her own. For the sake of convenience, I went with an online service, and the organizers set me up with a couple weeks' worth of QnA, essay-type blog visits. Prices and length of tours vary widely. Shopping around paid off dividends.

5. Do the usual social networking announcements. These don't pay of much of anything unless you have majorly devoted followers. Otherwise, only a percentage of them are going to respond. But it is just another place to leave a mark for search engines to sniff out.

 

 

***

 

Did any of these things work? Depends on the goals. Mine were to make a few more neural connections on the InterWeb.  People find links in all kinds of ways... Mission accomplished.

 

I heard or read that, to sell five units of something as a writer, you will need to be exposed to one thousand people! Puts things in perspective. It's a good thing that I'm not in the writing game to make a buck.

 

For those who want that buck... the best hope for the indie writer is to create an aggregate of stories and other art. Find a niche, a personal specialty, and corner it artistically. You could get speaking engagements, seminars, books, and media appearances out of it. Again, this depends on the goals.

 

Unless someone strikes a main vein of interest, or is willing to compromise, there's little chance of a big-time career in fiction writing coming from one book. 

 

Obviously none of this applies to the publicity/marketing genius. This type of person can spin gold by sheer will and personality. For the rest of us, it's best to simply keep producing.

 

***

 

Liz Long

 

Must Read Faster

 

 

 

 

 

NBA Eastern Conference Finals 2001: Philadelphia @ Milwaukee, Game Six (Pt. 1)



Ray Allen

With all the Miami Heat hype, people forget that there was a Big Three just ten years ago, because we are amnesiacs.

There have actually been several "Big Threes" in NBA history who aren't remembered by that name, except by old timers. The McHale-Parish-Bird era in Boston comes to mind as one of the all-time best trios.

More recently, before LeBron, Wade, and Bosh in Miami... and even before the Boston Celtics glued Allen, Garnett and Pierce together in the mid-Aughts... the Milwaukee Bucks did it.

 

They even used a piece that the C's would later grab: Ray Allen. With "Big Dog" Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell, the trio was dubbed, yes, The Big Three.

The 2001 Bucks meet up with Allen Iverson's Philadelphia 76ers, in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Allen Iverson

Iverson carried Philly's B-minus/C-plus squad through the '00-01 season, scoring in clumps and dazzling fans in his fifth season. "The Answer" averaged 31 points a game over the regular season, adding 4.6 assists and 2.5 steals (along with about 3 turnovers). He raised his scoring by a point in these playoffs, and assists by almost two.

Game Six finds the Sixers leading the series 3-2, and rolling into Milwaukee after a comeback in Game Five.

So it is a typical match-up, familiar to long-time sports fans, between a high-scoring threat who swallows the basketball like a black hole... and a group of slightly-lesser talents who are still excellent...