Keywords by David Yonke

Tata for Now ...
Have you heard about the Tata Nano? This car is a remarkable feat of engineering.
Made in India, it sells for $2,200. That's a bare-bones model that would never sell in the more sophisticated and well-off European and American markets, but for the Indians who have been using bicycles and cramming four people onto motorcycles, this is the perfect entry-level four-wheel vehicle.
The arced body is plenty spacious for four grown men, according to the latest issue of Car and Driver magazine.

Made by Tata Motors, the Nano has a 35-horsepower, 624-cc two-cylinder engine mounted under the rear seat. The no-frills version has no A/C, no ABS, a manual four-speed gearbox, one windshield wiper, one side mirror, one column stalk, and one dashboard gauge combining a speedometer and fuel gauge.
But it can go 65 mph and the suspension is rugged enough for the worst Indian roads.
Amazingly, Tata had planned to sell it for $2,000 but despite rising steel prices and production problems, it still only raised the sticker price by $200.
(Tata had built a factory in Singur, West Bengal, but the local farmers felt they were not fairly compensated and linked up with Marxist guerrillas to take over the plant. Tata abandoned it even though it was 90 percent complete and moved production to a truck plant in northern India.)
A more fully equipped and higher-powered version is scheduled for introduction in Europe in 2011 and the USA in 2012 and the price is expected to double or triple... even so, at $6,000 it will be hard to match.
This is another chink in the restructuring of global manufacturing industries and proof that, as Bob Dylan said nearly 30 years ago, the union is "going the way of the dinosaur."
* * *
Toledo, Ohio
May 2, 2009

We took home a beautiful and spunky little puppy this week named Annie. She's a 13-week-old Powder Puff Chinese Crested we got from our friend and hairstylist Kevin Charles, who also breeds show dogs.
I did not know much about this breed until I got her but Annie is an amazing little puppy. She's got a lot of personality and has absolutely beautiful markings. Her long black and white hair does not shed and she is a tiny five pounds of fur and love. She'll get to 7 or 8 pounds, Kevin said.
He had set her aside as the "pick of the litter" for his daughter but she turned out to be not quite ready to own a puppy. So her loss is the Yonke family's gain and she'll get her puppy one of these days.
It's going to take a little time for my dog Scotty, a 3-year-old schnoodle, to get used to her. He's been best buddies with Roxy, my daughter Cara's pup, for the last year and a half but Cara's moving to Georgia on Monday. Scotty would have been all alone but Annie kind of fell into our laps.
It's a time of adjusting for all of us... especially for Janet and I after Cara leaves to join her hubby Dustin in their new home 700 miles away.
Meanwhile Scotty has to get used to Annie and Annie has to get used to her new environment and we've got to get used to having a young and frisky puppy around the house.
It's a time of transition and you know how change can be challenging. Some changes are beyond one's control, some are of your own choosing. We're dealing with both kinds. It's all good, though. It's all good.
* * *
Last night we watched Marley & Me. Probably not the best timing for our family. It's a very emotional movie especially for dog lovers. But it's really about life in general, the passage of time, the breadth and depth of human emotions, the nature of love, and relationships. All wrapped up in an entertaining movie about a goofy poorly behaved dog.
Quite an accomplishment for Hollywood.
I'm not a fan of Owen Wilson's acting abilities, but he did a fair job as the main character and straight man in the flick, reporter/columnist John Grogran.
I liked him more in the offbeat role of Francis Whitman in Wes Anderson's extremely amusing The Darjeeling Limited.
By the way, I was at a dinner with the local Hindu pandit, or priest, recently and he told me he had just seen Marley & Me. He said the main character was a reporter "and I thought of you the whole time."
Now I've got Owen Wilson representing me and my career. Isn't that a scary thought?
* * *
Toledo, Ohio
May 2, 2009

Someone involved in the case predicted recently that the legal filings will never stop until Father Robinson passes away. That seems to be proving true... there's no shortage of court filings.
Yesterday, the State of Ohio filed a legal motion containing more than 900 pages of documents that literally stack up to a height of 4 inches.
This was the response to Father Robinson's attorney's January filing that was a mere 2 inches thick.

The state's motion was in opposition to Robinson's amended petition for post-conviction relief.
At the same time, the Ohio Innocence Project has jumped into the legal fray by joining defense attorneys John Donahue and Rick Kerger as co-counsel, specifically in regard to DNA evidence.
I wrote about it for today's paper and you can read the article here.
The Ohio Innocence Project specializes in using DNA evidence to prove the innocence of convicted persons.
I have spent a great deal of time as a journalist and author, albeit from a layperson's nonscientific perspective, looking into the DNA evidence in this case. Nothing is more frequently misunderstood and misquoted by the casual observer of the Robinson case than the DNA found at the crime scene.
Here are a few things to consider before jumping to conclusions on the importance of deoxyribonucleic acid in this case:
* Sister Margaret Ann Pahl was murdered on April 5, 1980. DNA was not used as evidence to convict a defendant in a tril until 1987.
* Nobody looked for DNA at the crime scene or thought to preserve it from contamination.
* Dozens of people were in the sacristy where Sister Margaret Ann's body was found, including medical personnel, coroner's officials, nuns, clerics, and maintenance workers.
* The amount of DNA found on Sister Margaret Ann Pahl's undergarments was 7 picograms. That is equivalent to 7 dollar bills in a stack of bills 60 miles high, or one bathroom tile in an area the size of Indiana.
* The DNA found on Sister Margaret Ann's fingernails was not found "under her nails" as some of Robinson's supporters claim. It was found after her nails had been clipped by police and placed inside an envelope. The clippings were later disintegrated into a solvent for testing purposes and the DNA was found in the solution mix. It could have come from the top of her fingernails, it could have come from beneath the nails -- nobody knows.
* The amount of DNA material is so minuscule that it could have come from somebody sneezing or coughing, or from a microscopic piece of shed skin.
* During the 2006 trial, the prosecution explained the DNA factors to the 12 jurors who agreed unanimously that DNA was not a significant factor in determining Father Robinson's guilt or innocence.
* * *
Still waiting to hear whether Judge Gene Zmuda will grant the Lucas County prosecutor's office's request for a gag order in the case.
The more that time passes, the more unlikely it seems that the judge will grant the request.
It would be highly unusual since there is no trial scheduled, and it is possible there never will be another trial.
For a judge to grant a gag order on the possibility of a trial sometime in the future would be highly unusual, to say the least.
* * *
Toledo, Ohio
May 2, 2009

You've heard of Small Craft Advisories for sailors, now we're going to need a Small Dog Advisory for owners of little foo-foo dogs. Now that we've got our own little five-pound doggie, maybe we should invest in a pair of lead boots for her on gusty Midwestern days....

From the Associated Press:

The Utleys happily reunited with Tinker Bell.

WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Tinker Bell has been reunited with her owners after a 70-mph gust of wind picked up the six-pound Chihuahua and tossed her out of sight. Dorothy and Lavern Utley credit a pet psychic for guiding them on Monday to a wooded area nearly a mile from where 8-month-old Tinker Bell had been last seen. The brown long-haired dog was dirty and hungry but otherwise OK.

The Utleys, of Rochester, had set up an outdoor display Saturday at a flea market in Waterford Township, 25 miles northwest of Detroit. Tinker Bell was standing on their platform trailer when she was swept away.

Dorothy Utley said her cherished pet "just went wild" upon seeing her.

* * *
Toledo, Ohio
May 2, 2009

This is definitely worth 1 minute, 38 seconds of your time to see how much of a difference it will make to cut $100 million from the federal budget. -- David

A film crew is in town working on an hour-long documentary show for the Discovery Channel. Two pilot programs aired on MSNBC last fall and it was picked up for a 13-week season on Discovery that starts this fall.

The pilots were titled "Verdict: You Decide," but I believe the name for the full season is "Forensics: You Decide."
The producers said they take a real-life case and present the prosecution's side for half the program and the defense's side for the other half. The viewers are supposed to make up their own mind whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty, and the show wraps up by revealing the actual verdict.
My interview went fairly well, I think. The crew said several times that I was fantastic but they probably say that to all their interviewees. It's hard to predict how much they'll use or what snippets of the interview will end up in the program. But they invested quite a bit of time in getting my comments, so I would guess I'll be on it more than I was in the Academy Award-nominated documentary "Twist of Faith." They interviewed me and Mike Sallah for about half an hour, showed about 30 seconds of us in the film, and Mike talked for about 25 seconds of that. I think I was quoted as saying, "Yeah, that's right."
This time I was interviewed for about 2 hours and the crew then filmed "B roll" of me around the office, walking into the building, sitting at my computer, making phone calls, holding up newspapers published during the trial, etc.
It was a little Hollywood-ish in that I would walk down a hallway three or four times and try to look serious about something. My editors had given us the OK for the filming but a lot of my colleagues were unaware until they saw the cameraman follwing me around.
It was a bit out of my comfort zone, not normally wanting attention. But hopefully it all works out to make it a very good show. They seemed to be experienced and serious documentary filmmakers.
One of the producers said he has become obsessed with the case and has been reading everything he can about it. I know he was serious because he read my book and had tons of questions about the trial and the people involved.
The Discovery program is likely to air in late November or early December. I'll let you know when the air date is set.
* * *
Sylvania, Ohio
May 6, 2009

I've become a bit obsessed with a video game lately. It's called FIFA 09, made by EA Sports for PlayStation 3.
I've always loved soccer and this game is just unbelievable. Not only is the action realistic and the graphics superb, but you can create a player, customize his looks and name, put him on a real-world team, and then gain skills and ability as you accomplish certain performance targets.
I created a character named Yonkito and gave him long gray hair -- which makes him easy to spot on the pitch.
Yonkito is in his fourth "season" and plays for Inter in Italy (which he joined as a free agent after one year with Manchester United). So far this season Yonkito has 33 goals in 10 games. He also plays for the England national team.
I started out on the Rookie difficulty level and moved up to pro and now the "World Class" level. There's only one higher level and that's "Legend". Don't know if I'm ready for that yet.
I tried playing online with people from around the world but it is not the best game for that. Most of the people I played with don't know soccer rules and kept getting called for offsides. Playing against the computer is enough of a challenge.
FIFA 09 is a lot of fun and it gets my mind off more serious matters -- of which there is no shortage.
* * *
Sylvania, Ohio
May 6, 2009

I really enjoyed "having breakfast" with John C. Maxwell yesterday, the National Day of Prayer.
The first time I heard he was coming to Toledo was exactly a year ago, at the 2008 Northwest Ohio prayer breakfast, when one of the organizers told me excitedly that John Maxwell was going to be this year's speaker.
I tried to look excited, but to be honest I really didn't know much about Maxwell. I had heard his name but that's about it. Never saw him speak, never was one of the people who bought 16 million copies of his 50 books.
He's obviously a very successful man. In fact, when I tried to set up an interview for an article to run in advance of his Toledo visit, his assistant sent me a note saying Mr. Maxwell was unavailable "but feel free to quote from his books."
Not a very media-friendly guy. Most big-name speakers at least would have sent a press kit with a biography, past interviews with other media, and a copy of his latest book.
Not Maxwell.
This is a bit of an odd comparison, but B.B. King used to tell me that he did as many media interviews as he could because there were always some people who never heard of B.B. King.
I'm sure there are many people who have never heard of John C. Maxwell. I personally knew very little about him, and I'm a religion editor for a newspaper.
I looked on his website and basically there was nothing helpful as far as finding out about his life story or testimony. The "bio" only mentioned that he's sold 16 million books and founded some company called INJOY without explaining what INJOY was.
Later I found out Maxwell is from Circleville, Ohio, the son of a minister, and he pastored churches for 25 years before becoming a big time author and speaker.
So I don't take it personally when a speaker/celebrity snubs a media interview but I can't help but wonder why. Obviously they can spare a minimum of 10 or 15 minutes on the phone.
Usually they don't do interviews because their talk/concert/event is sold out and they don't need the media to raise awareness or sell tickets.
Not this time. The prayer breakfast had about 1,000 people, which is about the same as it always gets. Organizers had rented a much larger hall hoping for a much larger turnout.
I heard off the record that Maxwell's original speaking fee of $40,000 (not bad for half a day's work) had been cut to $25,000 because of poor ticket sales (still not a shabby paycheck).
But all of that behind-the-scenes griping aside, Maxwell is a terrific speaker and I can see why he has risen to the top of the Christian heap.
His talk at the prayer breakfast was about "running one lap" with different Bible figures and imagining what they would say -- Noah, Rebekah, David, and Jesus. He is smooth and funny and full of wisdom.
I stayed for a while for a leadership seminar that followed the breakfast but couldn't stay the whole time. He was talking about the theme of his new book, "Put Your Dream To The Test," and what it takes to reach your dreams. It was very inspiring and I personally felt motivated.
(Oddly, he was selling the new book for $24 at his lecture, but it's only $17.95 on his website. Usually they drop the price at a live event, but Maxwell obviously knows his marketing -- that seems to be one of his primary gifts, after preaching and teaching.)
Maxwell won me over as a speaker and I'm going to check out some of his book, but I'm not a fan of the way he runs things away from the spotlight. He goes into my "Joyce Meyer" folder for Christian celebrities who don't know how to work with the media.
* * *
I'm planning to see the new Star Trek movie sometime this weekend. It's gotten great reviews and as a longtime fan of the TV show and films I am really looking forward to getting a fresh new treatment of this sometimes stodgy sci-fi classic.
* * *
Toledo, Ohio
May 8, 2009

Our newsroom technology guru Paul Hem forwarded a story from cnet.com that illustrates just how fast Twitter is able to spread information.
Twitter for now is just a high-tech pop-culture phenomenon but, as this story shows, this type of citizen-driven, cell-phone communications technology has the potential to become a powerful and even invaluable tool if used properly.
We just need someone to develop the technology for meaningful purposes instead of using it as a way to spread gossip and idle chitchat.

When you read the excerpt below, you'll see exactly what I mean (read the full tory here):

From the cnet.com story about Twitter planning to "rank" the value of tweets...

Santosh Jayaram, a Twitter VP who had been manager of search quality operations for Google, told of being in the Twitter offices in San Francisco on March 30, when the Twitter engineers noticed that the word "earthquake" had suddenly started trending up. They didn't know where the earthquake was.

Several seconds later, their building started to shake. The earthquake had been in Morgan Hill, 60 miles south of San Francisco, and the tweets about the shaker reached the office faster than the seismic waves themselves.
* * *
Incidentally, unlike Ashton Kutcher and CNN with their millions of followers, I am not a Twitterer ... not yet anyway. I've got enough to do, and my life isn't exactly full of the kind of excitement and wonder that would merit hourly "tweets." -- David

Toledo, Ohio
May 11, 2009

Spotted this amusing bumper sticker in a parking lot yesterday:

NEUTER YOUR PETS (and weird friends and relatives, too) www.toledohumanesociety.com

It's been an interesting few days since my last entry... so here's a quick update.

The C-SPAN bus stopped in Toledo today for a few hours. I was invited as a "local author" to do an interview. Didn't turn out to be what I thought it was going to be. They were interviewing authors about what they're reading. I told the producer I thought they were going to interview me about my book, so he suggested I say that I am reading my own book and then give a quick commentary. Put me in an awkward spot, because I could have talked about other great books I am reading or recently read, but I thought I should take the opportunity for some self-promotion. Turned out to be a little more shameless self-promotion than I had imagined. But what the heck. I did it and it's been sent to C-SPAN HQ in DC and maybe someday it will see the light of day.
* * *
One of the books I'm reading is "Axiom" by Bill Hybels. It is a collection of his leadership sayings from 30-plus years of running Willow Creek Church in the Chicago area. He is one of my favorite speakers and I've never seen anybody so intent on training future leaders and helping people in leadership roles get better at what they do.
Most of his teaching is focused on the church but the principles could be applied in all fields.
He is truly a visionary and a man on a mission -- he created the whole "seeker-sensitive" concept of contemporary churches that has led to the growth of so many megachurches and a reinvention of modern church. Makes you think about things in a new way... what is important, what is not important when it comes to "doing church." A lot of what we think is important is actually baggage passed down from year to year.
* * *
Janet and I watched "American Idol" tonight, a show that is one of the most amusing on TV. I don't watch a whole lot of television but I lean toward documentaries and reality shows, and movies, when I do need to decelerate and not think too much.
Sad to see Danny Gokey leave the show, but I am sure he'll do well. I think he's got a more distinctive and recordable voice than either Adam or Kris. I would have predicted Kris would be the one bowing out tonight. But they are all excellent and deserve to have gotten as far as they have. It's been a great season.
I was also sad tonight that my daughter Cara and her new husband Dustin are in Georgia now, because we started watching the American Idol season together and it became a weekly bonding time. I miss those two "kids" so much but ... that's life, I suppose.
Hopefully they'll learn a lot, grow a lot, and come back to Toledo eventually. Unless I happen to move south... where it's warm and you don't have to shovel any snow.... Hmmmm.
* * *
I interviewed Bishop Marcus Lohrmann of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America today. He is a terrific leader of the regional synod and I believe he is a true man of God. I always enjoy speaking with him and he is always honest, forthright and insightful when being interviewed. On top of that, he is usually accessible very quickly, unlike some high ranking clergy. There's a sense of trust and confidence between us, developed over years of our relationship, that makes it easier for him to talk to the "Press" knowing he will be treated fairly and the story will be reported accurately.... even the tough stories.
* * *
Did you know the Mormon Church has baptized Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, posthumously into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
It's true. But church protocol may have been broken if the person who submmitted her name was not related to her. So the Mormons are investigating the case.
* * *
Went to the doctor's on Tuesday for a checkup and got a good report all around, thank God. Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment, not one of my favorite things to do but another of life's little necessities. It's not easy keeping this body in line.
* * *
Stopped by Kevin Charles' salon the other night to say hello and show Kevin and his sister, Kimm, the new Yonke family member -- our puppy Annie. Kevin was the one who raised her.
During our conversation he voiced some disappointment that the latest cover of Us magazine had a big photo and splash about Kirstie Alley gaining 83 pounds and a tiny, postage-stamp teaser at the top about Farah Fawcett and her terminal cancer.
It is a sad commentary that a magazine would put so much emphasis on something as frivolous as a washed-up actress (who actually starred in a show called "Fat Actress") gaining a lot of weight, and give less attention to a onetime TV icon who's on her deathbed.
Despite that lack of judgment, you have to realize that this was "Us" magazine, not Time or Newsweek or US News. It's a gossip sheet about celebrities and all the editors care about is selling dirt. After years of success, they apparently came to the editorial conclusion that another fat actress cover story would sell more copies of their esteemed magazine than doing a big story on a dying actress whose biggest success was 20 or 30 years ago.
* * *
Sylvania, Ohio
May 13, 2009

As you undoubtedly have heard by now, President Barack Obama is scheduled to give the commencement speech this Sunday at the University of Notre Dame, and receive an honorary doctoral degree.
It's quite an honor for a university to have the most powerful political figure in the world speak to their graduates.
Right?
Maybe not.

Students: Caught in the crossfire.

Notre Dame is a Catholic university, and President Obama has been an aggressive advocate for abortion rights.
His invitation has sparked a firestorm from some Catholics who vehemently oppose having a pro-abortion president speak at a university that is part of the uncompromisingly pro-life Catholic Church.
The backlash has also created a backlash of its own, with a number of Catholic groups speaking up in support of Notre Dame's decision to invite Obama.

Here are some excerpts from emails and commentaries I have been receiving over the last few weeks, and the controversy is getting more intense every day:

* Notre Dame Loses $8.2 Million in Withheld Donations over Obama Scandal, reported by LifeSiteNews.com: A group called ReplaceJenkins.com (re Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins) has announced that the university has lost millions in donations because of the scandal. The website has received over 900 pledges from alumni and donors promising to withhold future donations. Several of the largest gifts include estate bequests to the University that have been removed from donors' wills.
* Former Vatican ambassador Mary Ann Glendon has decided to refuse Notre Dame's Laetare Medal because of the Obama invite.
* By a 60% to 25% margin, U.S. Catholics say the university should not award an honorary degree to the president. Sixty-six percent (66%) of Evangelical Christians share that view along with 52% of other Protestants... In 2004, U.S. bishops issued a statement saying, "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."
* 300,000 signatures on a petition opposing the invitation to Obama were delivered to Notre Dame.
* 68 U.S. Bishops Oppose Notre Dame's "Serious Mistake". Two of the bishops say that despite the gravity of the scandal, the invitation ought not to be rescinded out of respect for the office of the presidency. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn said the invitation "has caused an uproar and a division within the Catholic community."

* * *
An April 30 poll by the Pew Forum found that about half of American Catholics have heard at least a little about the controversy and that a similar number say the university was right to invite Obama.
The survey also found that Catholic opinion on the issue varies by frequency of church attendance. Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly are more likely than those who attend less often to have heard about the controversy and to say it was wrong for the university to invite Obama.
* * *
Over 20 Catholic theologians (including Dr. Richard Gaillardetz, professor of Catholic studies at the University of Toledo) have issued a statement denouncing shrill attacks against the University of Notre Dame as betraying a rich Catholic intellectual tradition and injecting partisan politics into the graduation ceremony.
The statement, signed by the president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and other prominent Catholic scholars, will run as a full-page advertisement in the May 16 edition of the South Bend Tribune.
It cautions “those who seek to disrupt these joyous proceedings or to divide the Church for narrow political advantage that history is not on your side.”
The theologians note that Notre Dame has a long tradition of inviting presidents from both political parties to give the commencement. They include former presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, whose positions on the death penalty, use of military power, torture and other central life issues did not align with Catholic social teaching.
* * *
Sunday marks the Center for Bio Ethical Reform’s (CBR) final outreach to the University of Notre Dame in response to the scandal of President Obama delivering the commencement speech and receiving an honorary degree of laws from Notre Dame.
After almost 3 weeks of saturating the area with the photographic evidence of abortion using airplanes and billboard trucks, CBR has created dialogue with students, faculty, and alumni on abortion. CBR will join hundreds of pro-life activists on the streets surrounding Notre Dame on Sunday, May 17. Obama is set to address the UND graduates around 1 PM.
The protest is from 10:30am – 1 PM Sunday May 17, 2009 near the main gate of UND.
Joe Scheidler’s Pro-Life Action League has several buses coming to hold Face the Truth signs on Angela Ave. near the UND main entrance. Hundreds of others from all around America will also witness to the evil of abortion during the day. The protest is from 10:30am – 1 PM.

“As a result of our protest other university President’s will think twice about trivializing abortion by honoring the abortion President at their university. We may not have stopped Obama. We may not have gotten President John Jenkins fired (yet). But we have successfully connected Obama to this crime against humanity and raised awareness nationally on the abortion holocaust,” said Mark Harrington of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform.
* * *
From a group called Catholic Democrats:

Statement of Support For Notre Dame and Its President, And For Catholic Educational Excellence

Recent headlines tell us that Catholic higher education is increasingly under attack.
Therefore, we the undersigned Catholics support Fr. John Jenkins and the University of Notre Dame in their decision to invite President Barack Obama to deliver the university’s 2009 Commencement address.
We further support all Catholic educational institutions as they thoughtfully engage students – and indeed all Catholics – to think critically about matters of faith and public policy.
We recognize Fr. Jenkins’s leadership in extending this invitation as a “catalyst for dialogue” and as a means of “positive engagement … on specific issues regarding the protection of human life.” Similarly, President Obama's leadership is moving the nation past the deep wounds of racial prejudice and advancing a spectrum of social and economic justice issues at the heart of our faith - including a new focus on strategies to reduce abortion.
Catholic education is one of Catholicism’s enduring legacies to our country, known for bringing faith and reason to bear on the moral issues facing our lives. As stated in Notre Dame’s mission, “The aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice.”
Catholic universities, founded to meet the higher education needs of immigrant Catholics, are now among the nation’s most prestigious institutions, providing leadership in addressing the moral problems that affect us all. We the undersigned hope and pray that Catholic education will continue to champion fruitful engagement of diverse perspectives in pursuit of the common good.
Here's a link to their website.
* * *
Well there's more -- lots more -- from both sides but I think you get the picture. It should be an interesting day in South Bend on Sunday.
* * *
By the way, here's one of the most offbeat Notre Dame stories you'll ever read. The guy should have brought a copy editor along with him before he got the tattoo...

A New Jersey Notre Dame fan is suing for $259,000 because his tattoo reads "Fighing Irish."

Dan O'Connor, a Notre Dame fan from Lodi, New Jersey, is suing the Tattoo
Shoppe in Carlstadt, New Jersey for $259,000 in damages for misspelling the words
"Fighting Irish" under a drawing of the university's leprechaun mascot he
received.

The inscription reads: "Fighing Irish"

Marc Chase, O'Connor's lawyer, said they are suing for the cost of a laser
procedure to remove the tattoo which runs about $700.

O'Connor, 22, is also seeking money for pain and suffering. "I just can't
live with this," he said.
* * *
And speaking of tattoo boo boos, check out this amusing blog about celebrity ink gone bad.

Toledo, Ohio
May 15, 2009

In the mode of one-thing-leads-to-another, when I was writing a blog on President Obama and Notre Dame, it reminded me of the story about a Notre Dame fan who sued the tattoo artist over a spelling mistake (see previous entry) which led me to do a little searching online about the topic which led me to one of the funniest stories I've ever heard about semi-permanent ink-stained mistakes.

In that entry, I put a link to the blog about it, published by the Toronoto Sun. But for those who don't want to go to the link, here's a brief highlight from the blog:

"BBC News reported last year that Brit teen Joanne Raine had the Chinese characters for her boyfriend’s nickname — "Roo" — tattooed on her stomach. After Roo dumped Joanne, she found out the Chinese symbols actually meant "supermarket.""

(Raine had picked the Chinese characters for “R” “O” and “o” — so all the symbols would be different — but the Chinese for kangaroo (“roo”) would be just one symbol.)

* * *
At least "supermarkets" will be around for a long time, unlike some relationships.
* * *
There have been other notable mistakes involving tattoos and oriental symbols. You are taking a big risk if you have a tattoo artist stain your skin with Chinese or Japanese symbols which you can't read or translate.

Here's more on the topic from the Sun's blog, deftly penned by Al Parker:

In another case of mistaken calligraphy, American Lee Beck sued his tattooist after finding out the Chinese characters that were supposed to say “Love honor and obey” actually said “This boy is ugly.”

A tattoo that was supposed to say “Blood and guts” was a bit too literal in its Chinese form: “Blood and intestines.”
* * *
The last item reminds me of another one of my favorite "Lost in Translation" stories: The famous Fats Waller tune, "Ain't Misbehavin'," was published in Russia with the following title: "I'm Not Doing Anything Wrong."
It may be technically correct, but the dull, dry Russian version definitely doesn't capture the mischievous spirit of the song title.
* * *
btw, President Obama's Notre Dame commencement address will begin shortly. CNN is reporting that he "will not shy away" from the abortion controversy and will address the issue.
It also reported that some ND students have taped photos of aborted fetuses atop their caps in protest.
What a horrible image to display during a graduation ceremony.
* * *
Toledo, Ohio
May 17, 2009

"A legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist. Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

I was looking up information on one of my favorite singers, Antoine "Kiko" Motos, who led a group called Gipsyland and toured as a singer with the Gypsy Kings. Turns out Kiko is also one of the favorite vocalists of former President George Herbert Walker Bush.
According to some online sources, the elder Bush asked Kiko to sing at his presidential inauguration but Mr. Motos declined, for unspecified reasons.
I suddenly have a new respect for the senior Bush statesman.

Motos' vocals and his band, which includes his son, sing in Spanish and play a unique mix of jazz, flamenco and pop music that really stirs the soul. Check out their 2000 CD "Viva La Musica" if you get a chance, and even if you don't understand Spanish the soulful music transcends any language barriers.

* * *
Toledo, Ohio
May 18, 2009

Quebec court says reporter went too far in infiltrating sect

by Ron Csillag
Religion News Service

TORONTO (RNS) A Quebec court has ruled that a journalist's undercover investigation of the Raelian sect in the province violated the privacy of its members.

The court awarded $9,000 Cdn ($7,688 US) in damages to two Raelians who said they had suffered embarrassment and loss of revenue after being identified as senior figures close to sect leader Claude Vorilhon, who goes by the name Rael.

The case goes back to 2003 when Brigitte McCann, a reporter for the Journal de Montreal, spent nine months undercover as a member of the Raelians. Her articles won Quebec's top journalism prize and exposed a darker side to the sect, which claims 55,000 followers worldwide who believe in UFOs and that humans have been cloned.

McCann reported that Vorilhon believes he has been targeted for assassination by the CIA, demands generous contributions from followers and that his entourage includes "angels" prepared to die to protect him.

Quebec Court Judge Charles Grenier ruled that the newspaper was not justified in infiltrating the Raelians because information about the sect was publicly available. And he suggested that an undercover press investigation of the sect leads to a slippery slope.

"If the activities of a group or organization are legal and of a private nature, what can justify the use of so-called clandestine investigation methods in the name of the public right to information?" Judge Grenier asked. "The non-conformity of ideas and activities? Their bizarreness? Their occult character? General disapproval? And what else?"

The judge found that the publication of the plaintiffs' pictures and personal information infringed their right to privacy. Their identities were not made public.

A woman who is a member of Vorilhon's inner circle of "angels" said her practice as a psychologist suffered after she was publicly identified as a high-ranking Raelian, and was awarded $7,000 in damages.

The other plaintiff, a general contractor, was identified by the newspaper as president of a company on whose land the Raelians' UFOLand headquarters is located, northeast of Montreal. He was awarded $2,000.

In a statement, the Raelians called for the revocation of McCann's prize and said they would soon "demonstrate their joy" at the ruling in front of the offices of the Journal de Montreal.

The other day, I felt strongly inspired to send a copy of my book to a Hollywood movie producer/director whose name you would instantly recognize.
It's an awkward thing for me to do because (a) this person probably gets dozens of unsolicited books every day and (b) I am not the type of person who likes to blow his own horn.
But the inspiration would not go away so I put a little package together and got it ready and my wife took it to the post office today.
Picture Janet standing in a line until it's her turn at the counter.
The post office clerk asks Janet: "What's in the package?"
"A book," my wife replies.
"Oh, it's a book. And you're sending it to (BLURTS OUT NAME OF FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR)!"
Every eye in the room zeroes in on poor Janet.

"Yes, that's right," she replies.
"Did you write it?" the clerk asks.
"No, my husband did," Janet replies.
"What's it about?" the clerk asks.
The conversation continued in the public domain...
Good thing Janet is not a shy wallflower type. She was laughing about it.
The clerk said the book sounds like it would make a great movie.
Well yes... that's the whole point of mailing it to (FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR).
On the way out, the clerk once again asked Janet what the name of my book was. Janet had to shout it out. The clerk wrote it down.
Said she was going to buy a copy on Amazon.
I'm kind of glad it was Janet and not me that mailed the book.

* * *
I'll be sure to let you know if I hear from that Hollywood person.
Yes, it's a longshot. But if I don't make an effort, it's unlikely this person will ever know about my book. And every Hollywood mogul is looking for a great story to tell.
As my friend and spiritual adviser Todd Hostetler says, "If you take the first small steps, God will take the big steps."
I'm praying for a few giant steps...
* * *
Toledo, Ohio
May 20, 2009

Commuters in Antwerp, Belgium, were treated to a surprise musical/choreographed performance at Centraal Station. Check out this YouTube video and you will definitely find yourself smiling...

I received this amazing offer by e-mail yesterday (note the personalized salutation!) I think I'd better move quickly before the window of opportunity slams shut, don't you? Let me know if you want in, too. Plenty of gold dust to go around -- 2,000 kilograms, in fact. That's 4,400 pounds. -- David

Dear,

I greet you and I hope that you will be ready to explore this area of business opportunity.
In introduction, I am Brother Denis Bahyi,I am the assistant parish Priest at St Anthonys cathedral here in Abidjan.

I seek your partnership in a business interest which I am sure will be to our mutual benefit. The Parish Priest of St Anthony’s Cathedral His Holiness Father Benson Ibiko,has been in a secret business relationship with a certain American. This American comes every three months and buy over 2000 kg of Gold dust which he exports to different secret locations with the assistance of the Parish Priest.

The Gold itself is purchased Directly from the association of local miners that are not under Government lines of operation. The Gold dust which is 22 karat purity is purchased at the price of US$7,000 per KG.

I have been monitoring this secret transaction for months now, Presently the American is in town and yesterday when having launch with the Parish priest he forgot his file in the parlour where I was sitting and I had some ten minutes to look into the file.I discovered that this American supplies this Gold Dust to several weathy clients in Asia ,Australlia ,Britain, USA and Middle East. Before they came in and retrieved the file,I was fast enough to get the details of an Arabian Prince to whom they sell this Gold to at the Price of US$9950. per KG.The Arabian prince is asking for about 900 kg of Gold dust.

I am writing this mail so that you can contact the Arabian PRINCE AND INFORM HIM THAT WE CAN SELL THE GOLD TO HIM AT THE PRICE OF US$9,000 per KG.

This is good business, If you can arrange this, I will stand in here to help you with the locals. We can get the gold dust directly to the Arabian Prince on regular basis and from there we can widen our tentacles.
However, the Arabian Prince must not have my contacts as this could be disclosed to the American businessman and I will be placed in serious jeopardy. All you will do is to contact the Arabian Prince and tell him that you will supply the same quality of Gold dust to him cheaper and you will contact the locals and tell them that you are ready to market Gold dust for them.
If you are ready please reach back to me immediately so that we can discuss percentage or commissions and how to proceed.But if we must work togther,it will be important we reach The Arabian immediately so that he will cancel all deals with the American.

Most importantly,the arabian will have to pay cash before we can supply the gold to him.
The 900 kg of gold dust at the price of US$9000= US$8,100,000. The Arabian will pay this amount into your account and you will remit this amount for the purchase; 900 kg x US$7000 = US$6,300,000.

Our profit will therefore be US$8,100,000-US$6,300,000 = US$1,800,000.

This will be for the start.We will soon expand the network.All you will do is to be the middleman.

Best Regards,

Father Denis Bahyi

Kris Allen won American Idol because (a) he's from Arkansas; (b) he's a Christian, and (c) he's a talented and likable young man.
Probably in that order.

I heard on TV this morning that of the nearly 100 million "votes" cast nationwide for the final two contestants, 38 million votes came from Arkansas -- Allen's home state. There are only 2.8 million people in the whole state.

First: If the TV reporter was accurate (which, logically, may not be the case), it means that Allen's Arkansas fan base almost melted the phone lines calling in for their hometown hero.
Not much exciting happens in Arkansas, so having Allen as a finalist really got people fired up.
Adam Lambert, on the other hand, is from San Diego, Cali-for-ni-ay, where celebrities and media are around every corner. Yawn. Having a Californian in the Idol finals is not something the natives would get worked up over.
Second: Many Christians feel the media are out to get them and that our culture is going to hell in a handbasket. When they have a chance to support "one of their own," they jump at the opportunity. I'm sure Kris Allen got a lot of votes from conservative/evangelical Christians just because he is a worship leader at a church.
Third: The young teenage girls were all ga-ga over Allen's good looks and low-key, aw-shucks humility. They're the ones that use their cell phones as naturally as if they're breathing air.
And fourth: Adam Lambert is an amazingly talented artist and performer but he's a bit too edgy for mainstream America. He probably won the votes on the West Coast and Northeastern United States but got slammed in middle America.

It doesn't really matter, however. Both of them will have successful careers. American Idol is truly a phenomenon and it has proved its success in giving ordinary people a shot at stardom. Allen, Lambert, Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta will all get record deals. And I predict that Allison and Danny will be the most successful of the group in the long term.

Also, last night's finale was terrific entertainment. I Tivo'd it and sped through some parts because it was late, but performances by the Idol singers with Jason Mraz, Queen, and Kiss were superb and fun.
Rod Stewart sounded like Kermit the Frog but he's still got charisma. I couldn't skip through his song even though I thought he sounded horrible. I remember meeting him backstage at a Faces concert when I was in college. He was a nice guy but seemed a bit out of place in Durham, North Carolina, with his spikey hair, gold shirt, and GQ style. He's quite short, by the way. Ronnie Wood was there, too, before he joined the Rolling Stones. I remember him carrying a jug of orange juice and wondering if it had vodka in it.
* * *
May 21, 2009
Toledo, Ohio

If that doesn't make sense to you,

This is a poor-quality, very amateurish video but you can hear Allen in his element... and some teenybopper girls screaming their hearts out for him...

"If we say our God is an all-loving God, how do you explain that at any given time probably 400 million (people) living on the planet at one time would be gay? Are the religions of the world, as does Catholicism, saying to those hundreds of millions of people, you have to pass your whole life without any physical, genital expression of that love? "

—Former Archbishop of Milwaukee Rembert Weakland, who comes out as gay in a memoir to be published next month, speaking to the New York Times (May 15).

* * *

This is not exactly a surprise. Here's a story that was published in June, 2002:

Former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland apologized yesterday for the pain a $450,000 settlement the archdiocese reached with a man who accused him of sexual assault has caused the Catholic community.

"I apologize to all the faithful of the archdiocese which I love so much, to all its people and clergy for the scandal that has occurred because of my sinfulness," he said at a prayer service.

The Milwaukee Archdiocese in 1998 paid the settlement to Paul Marcoux, a former Marquette University theology student who accused Archbishop Weakland of sexually assaulting him in 1979. He has denied abusing anyone.

The money for the settlement came from the archdiocese's general budget, which includes income from sources such as investments and church-owned rental property, the archdiocese has said.

Archbishop Weakland is the highest-ranking American cleric to acknowledge settling a sexual assault allegation against him.

During yesterday's service, he said he accepted responsibility for the "inappropriate nature" of his relationship with Mr. Marcoux and apologized for "any harm done him."

He said he understood the settlement agreement to be compensation for Mr. Marcoux, who claimed the former archbishop had interfered with his ability to earn income. He said he agreed to the settlement rather than spend money litigating the claim.

His 25-year tenure ended when the Vatican accepted his resignation May 24, a day after he acknowledged paying the settlement. He reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in April.

"People who are concerned about me ask how I feel at this moment. The best nouns to describe those feelings would be: remorse, contrition, shame, and emptiness," he said yesterday.

Ryan Garko is greeted in the dugout after his fourth-inning HR, the first of two he hit yesterday.

It's the kind of comeback that happens once in every, oh, 13,000 games, statistically speaking. The Cleveland Indians rallied from 10-0 deficit to beat the Tampa Rays 11-10 yesterday, ending with a walk-off two-run single by Victor Martinez with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to cap a seven-run inning.
After such a horrific start to the 2009 season, this could be the game that turns things around for the Indians.
The Clevelanders have so much more talent than they have shown on the field thus far. The Indians currently have the worst won-lost record in the American League and there's only one National League team with a worse record: the Washington Nationals.
It's only one game, but yesterday's dramatic comeback could spark a new start for the Tribe.
Stay tuned...
Oh, the last time a team came back from a 10-run deficit to win was May 8, 2004, when the Rangers beat the Tigerrs 16-15.
* * *
May 26, 2009
Toledo, Ohio

"A person is a success if they get up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do."

"A page of good prose remains invincible."

* * *
The Writer's Almanac, that wonderful daily NPR program about writers that is narrated by Garrison Keillor, featured an interesting segment on Cheever today. I always admired his writing ability but knew little about his personal life -- including his self-torment over his bisexuality and his alcoholism. Here's a link.
Writing fiction can be a lonely and tortured vocation.

* * *
On Sunday, Keillor mentioned that it was Bob Dylan's 68th birthday. Here's a copy of that segment:

It's the birthday of the man who just released his 33rd studio album, Together Through Life: Bob Dylan, born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota (1941). He grew up in the declining mining town of Hibbing, Minnesota. He was a quiet kid, raised by Jewish parents, who loved listening to the Grand Ole Opry. But after he heard Little Richard on the radio, he wanted to play rock and roll, so his dad bought him an electric guitar and he formed a rock band at his high school, The Golden Chords. Then he went to the University of Minnesota, and as soon as he got to Minneapolis and heard a record by the folk singer Odetta, he went and traded in his electric guitar for an acoustic one.

* * *
May 27, 2009
Toledo, Ohio

This was written By Regina Brett of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio, and published in May, 2006. A version is making the rounds on the Internet saying Regina turned 90. That's a cruel thing to say about a woman who is 52! At least the internet version is accurate in quoting her 50 lessons. -- David

Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on

By Regina Brett Sunday May 28, 2006

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

I feel like a kid at Christmas, just got an advance copy of Dean Koontz's new thriller "Relentless." I have been reading so many nonfiction books -- very good ones, even excellent ones -- and could use a break from reality. Since I first read one of Koontz's novels a few years ago ("Life Expectancy" was the first one I read) he has become one of my favorite writers. All of his books are well-written, taut and entertaining. Reading all the good nonfiction stuff is like watching documentaries, and reading a Koontz thriller is like watching a Steven Spielberg movie. You need to get away sometimes!
* * *
Speaking of getting away, I can't wait to see the new Pixar movie "Up!", although it's going to be a tough sell to get Janet to go. That's not her kind of movie. It looks like fun, though, with the usual top-notch Pixar graphics and this movie is in 3-D! And Ed Asner does the voice of the grumpy old man. How could I resist?
* * *
Got an odd press release saying that Hillsong United's new disc is battling Eminem's new release for the No. 1 spot on iTunes. What an odd matchup! I vote for United anyday...
* * *
Toledo jazz great and raconteur Jon Hendricks will be inducted into the ASCAP Wall of Fame at Lincoln Center on June 16. Jon is truly a living legend and well deserving of the honor!
* * *
A San Diego pastor claims that he and his wife have been threatened by the county with heavy fines for holding Bible studies at their home, with typically 15 people in attendance.
Supposedly they were asked if they "say 'Amen'," "praise the Lord," and "pray". When they said yes, they were sent a letter claiming "unlawful use of land."
Sounds like Communist/Atheist rule here in the U S of A.
Here's a link to the unbelievable story.
* * *
May 29, 2009
Toledo, Ohio

We were watching a John Maxwell video lesson the other night when the "leadership guru" offered this so-true observation (it was a fill-in-the-blanks as you go along kind of thing):
"When you're 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking about you.
When you're 40, you don't give a darn what anybody thinks of you.
When you're 60, you realize that nobody has been thinking about you at all!"
* * *
Here's another Maxwellism from the same lesson:

When you compare yourself with those superior, you feel inferior.
When you compare yourself with those inferior, you feel superior.
When you stop comparing yourself with others you feel empowered to create or concentrate on your dream.