Sunday, August 31, 2003 - Six people drowned Monday while trying to rescue a chicken from down a well in Southern Egypt. An 18 year old farmer was the first to descend into the 60-foot well. He drowned, apparently after an undercurrent in the water pulled him down. Police said his sister and two brothers, none of whom could swim well, went in one by one to help him, but also drowned. Two elderly farmers then came to help. But they apparently were pulled by the same undercurrent. The bodies of the six were later pulled out of the well in the village of Nazlat Imara, 240 miles south of Cairo. The chicken was also pulled out. It survived. Edward Thorndike adds “Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure.”

Monday, September 1, 2003 - A Swedish Proverb cautions “Don’t throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water.” John Cage admits “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” Ben Hecht observes “Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.” Willie Tyler explains “The reason lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn’t there the second time.” Hodding Carter believes “Television news is like a lightning flash. It makes a loud noise, lights up everything around it, leaves everything else in darkness, and then is suddenly gone.”
Tuesday, September 2, 2003 - From The Georgia Telegraph: A wild dog attacked a young boy and a man ran to his rescue, killing the animal with his bare hands. A reporter saw the incident, congratulated the man, and told him the headline the following day would read, Valiant Local Man Saves Child by Killing Vicious Animal. The hero told the journalist that he wasn’t from that town. “Well, then,” the reporter said, “the headline will probably say, Georgia Man Saves Child by Killing Dog.” “Actually,” the man said, “I’m from Connecticut.” “In that case,” the reporter said in a huff, “the headline should read, Yankee Kills Family Pet.”

Wednesday, September 3, 2003 - Last year as each DVD was released, my elfin friend gave me both the theatrical and the extended versions of The Fellowship of the Ring. This year, the elfin tradition continues with The Two Towers and I just received the theatrical version in the mail. If you’re a fan, go directly to Disk Two, position the drool bucket under your chin, and watch the preview for the extended version of The Two Towers containing the splendid flashbacks of Gondor and the relationship between the two brothers and their father as well as countless other juicy morsels. But push aside the drool bucket otherwise your jaw will drop into it when you view the preview of The Return of the King. Oh, my preciousss.

Thursday, September 4, 2003 - The expert boasts “I push the envelope until it’s outside the box. Bottom line is I have a full plate 24/7. Some days, I don’t have the bandwidth. It’s like drinking from a fire hydrant. Harder than nailing Jell-O to the wall. It’s like herding cats. I skate to where the puck’s going to be. I walk the walk and talk the talk. It’s not rocket science. It’s not brain surgery. When you drill down to the granular level, it’s just basic blocking and tackling. At the end of the day, it’s all about robust, world-class language solutions. If you walk like a duck and talk like a duck, you’re a duck. They all drink the Kool-Aid. I eat my own dog food, though I may eventually exit the business to pursue other career opportunities.”

Friday, September 5, 2003 - Starting today, street magician David Blaine is set to spend 44 days and nights in a glass box suspended over the River Thames in London, England, surviving solely on a diet of water fed to him through a tube. Blaine was quoted as saying “You will see my skin have open wounds and lesions. When you have nothing but water in your body, your skin begins to rip open and scab. You are surviving by digesting your own muscles and organs. You will see it first hand. I have never done this and I don’t know anyone who has. I have never tested myself like this, not even close. Sometimes I am scared. My biggest fear is coming out of there brain damaged.” Heaven forbid such an irresistible straight line!

Saturday, September 6, 2003 - Did you know that the horse’s head was an actual horse’s head? The Godfather DVD Series. My videos were well worn and turning red. I’m assured videos cannot turn red, but in my home, the Laws of Physics are guidelines, not absolutes. I viewed The Godfather Part One and Part Two back-to-back, realizing how I’ve come to think of Marlon Brando as having always looked like Vito Corleone and marveling at the restrained performance of a young Al Pacino who didn’t once yell “Woooo-yah.” I skipped The Godfather Part Three, understandably, and went directly to the special features disk, only to discover it contained a one-hour making of The Godfather Part Three, a cautionary tale about nepotism.