Update: A Thousand Words

It seems that President George W. Bush "bowed" to have a medal placed around his neck by none other than King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. LGF has the video here and some good points about our diplomatic history. He got a handshake and a kiss, too, but he didn't bow on greeting the king. We really don't need to be this nice to "friends" while they happily fund those intent on submission or death for infidels.

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, the last Sunday of Lent. On this day, Christians around the world will commemorate the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week.


All glory, laud, and honor to you Redeemer King,
To whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring.


You are the king of Israel and David's royal Son,
Now in the Lord's name coming, our King and Blessed One.

The company of angels are praising you on high;
Creation and all mortals in chorus make reply.

The multitude of pilgrims with palms before you went,
Our praise and prayer and anthems before you we present.

To you, before your Passion, they sang their hymns of praise.
To you, now high exalted, our melody we raise.

Their praises you accepted; accept the prayers we bring,
Great author of all goodness, all good and gracious King.


All glory, laud and honor to you, Redeemer King,
To whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring.

Theodulf of Orleans, 750/760-821

[The postcard, printed in Germany before 1914, is from the family archive.]

Get Hooked on College Lacrosse

I'm writing this for my readers today because I missed a televised lacrosse game last week. Never again. That game saw my beloved Terps lose to the top-ranked Cavaliers, 10-9, in seven overtimes. Yes, it was seven overtimes. Ties don't exist in this game. It was the longest lacrosse game in NCAA history. No doubt one of the most exciting as well.

Lacrosse is an ancient American sport, dating from about 1000 C.E. In it's early days, lacrosse had a religious significance. A game could consist of as many as a few thousand players and the losing side sometimes paid with their lives. Fast forward to today and you could say the game still has that religious fervor if you live from Maryland to New England, that part of the country where three- year-old boys get little lacrosse sticks for Christmas. These days, the teams are a bit smaller - ten players on each side - and there's almost always some bloodshed - cuts and scrapes - but it's during play.

Lacrosse is fast and furious requiring superb conditioning and a multiplicity of skills. If you can't stand soccer because you're always thinking "pick up the ball," you will love lacrosse. Currently, it may be the fastest growing team sport in the country. In Atlanta, many prep schools already playing the game now have competition from teams representing several public school systems. I expect the regional universities may raise their club teams to "official" status and join in NCAA play in a few years.

Thanks to ESPN, you will have an opportunity to see some top college games in April and May, including the men's NCAA Division I finals hosted by Harvard at Gillette Stadium, Boston. Check the schedule here. Most of games are on ESPNU; however, you can watch Virginia at Duke on ESPN2 on April 11 at 4:00 ET, the semifinal games on ESPN2 on May 23 at noon and 2:00 ET, and the championship match on ESPN on May 25 at 1:00 ET. Put those three dates on your calendar now. You'll be watching the "fastest game on two feet."

Game photo: Daniel Steger

A Thousand Words

Yes. This is our president bowing to a king who rules a state where human trafficking and involuntary servitude - the nice way of saying "slavery" - are part of everyday life. Bowing wasn't required or suggested by protocol. In 2009, why would any black American honor a slave-holding king with a bow? I'll bet you won't see this appalling behavior anywhere in the MSM.

The Pigasus Awards

If you've been visiting this site for awhile, you know OTR appreciates logic and reason when it come to observing the world around us. Whenever there's a chance to expose the snake oil salesmen, you'll read about it here. That brings us to the Pigasus Awards. These annual prizes are the brainchild of James Randi, magician, escape artist, skeptic and educator. The video of Randi - humorous, engaging and easy to listen to - describing the 2009 winners is available here. Aren't you glad pigs won't be flying anytime soon?

Tea Is The New Coffee

The news in this Wired blog is music to my ears. After years of being relegated far down the list of preferred beverages in the U.S., tea is on a rapid rise in popularity. I' enjoy carefully brewed coffee, but enjoy tea as well. Just imagine the varieties of bulk tea that will soon be in the Publix near you.

Emmylou

Emmylou Harris, my "sweetheart of the rodeo," was born on this day in 1947. She played many of the local clubs and coffee houses in and around DC when I was there around 1970. Unfortunately, I wasn't into the folk-blue grass sound at the time and, therefore, not in the audience. Still, it was impossible not to see and hear the advertising in and around Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Silver Spring. Eventually, she moved to Los Angeles to work with Gram Parsons and his band, The Grievous Angels. When he died in 1973, she was devastated, but carried on Parsons's search for the fusion sound he called "cosmic American music." Two years later, with the release of her album, Pieces of the Sky, she was on her way. The sound Harris and Parsons produced in their short time together would have a significant impact on decades of folk, rock, and country music to follow.

Here is the song she wrote with Bill Danoff as a tribute to Parsons:



Harris's career as a songwriter and entertainer just seems to keep going and going without an end in sight. I say, "Let it go!"

If you're interested in a detailed biography, this link will suffice.
Photo, top left: Yogibones