In which the IDiots show their dislike for clowns….

Since DaveScot has been sending a lot of traffic here, I thought that I’d open a thread to contain all the apparent hatred IDiots harbor for clowns. Geez, I’d hate to derail a UD thread.  So, here it is boys and girls. Please, tell us why clowns are bad, evil, stupid, or whatever else you think!

Jonathan Wells & Critical Analysis

That’s right, Mr. Wells of the Discovery Institute has a brand new book with brand old content. It does, however, have a catchy new title: The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design. If only content were as important to Mr. Wells as marketing appeal….

Read the fiskings by Reed Cartwright and others here.

The Jones Gang is no more :(

The jig is up; there will be no more terrorizing of the train from St. Louis to Kansas City. The Jones Gang has officially been shelved with the last performance.

I’m (almost) always saddened by the ending of a show. And even with 50 or so different shows under my belt, I’m never sure just why I’m sorry to see them go. Part of it is certainly the loss of someone(s) you’ve gotten close to. That may sound strange to non-actors, but it’s true. The characters we play start to live a life of their own, especially in long-running shows. If they didn’t, the show wouldn’t be very good. After a while, you start to see the world through their eyes–not just the parts of the world that intersect the show, but circumstances on the streets, and with other people. Unless you’re crazy, these characters are certainly a separate thing from your own life, but it still feels like losing a bit of yourself when it’s time for them to go. I suppose most of that is habit, but over the years I’ve found that habit is a powerful part of our lives.

The other thing that strikes me about losing a show is the fact that we should be used to it. We know it’s going to happen, and in most cases we know exactly when it’s going to happen. It is our job as actors to always seek the next project, the next story to tell. In fact, it is often the best thing about acting, the start of a new show. It’s exciting to explore new feelings, new stories, new people. This is, perhaps, the best remedy for losing the previous feelings, stories, and people–the excitement of creating something new.

In my experience that still doesn’t stop the momentary sense of loss every time I bury another character. It’s nice to know that they live on in us and in those that saw them, but for a day or two, I wish they’d still take the time to speak to us every day.

Goodbye Obie Jones. May you and your brothers ride forever; you were certainly the nicest train robbers in history.

Royals Sweep the Bo Sox!!!

In a clear sign that the end times are near, The Kansas City Royals swept a three game home series against the heavy hitting Boston Red Sox. Go us!!! In the process, KC beat Jonathon Papelbon (of the Nintendo stats line) and Curt Schilling (vying for his 15th victory). Have I said, “Go us!!!”?

The excitement at Kauffman Stadium was huge, sort of like the early 80s. Baseball, in my mind, is and will always be the national sport. Yes, I know that the NFL is far and away the sport that gets the best TV ratings and has the best business model, etc. So what? Baseball has something you can follow (even on teams that are out of the running): a great hitter’s daily line, a rookie pitcher’s progress, etc.–and it’s new every day.

I’m truly saddended every year when the boys of summer are gone.

Who’s interested in the facts?

Not Ann Coulter, for starters.

I was reading this on Ed Brayton’s awesome Dispatches from the Culture Wars. I’m going to give my impressions here, along with the above link to her un-scholarly behaviour. I think it should be posted far and wide by as many people as possible. I do not say this because Ann Coulter is the subject, but because of how she goes about her business. I take to task anyone who acts the way she does.

In our multi-media inundated lives, we are constantly beseiged by information. What can we do to insure we’re being fed the right information? Well, the easiest thing is to be personally curious, to be engaged in your own life. Don’t be spoonfed your information, check it out. Or at least check out your sources, as Ms. Coulter has failed to do. Then you can build a database of people you trust. Unfortunately, it is easier to trust sources without putting in the work of checking their veracity–which is why people like Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Moore, etc have such mindless followings. I’m not saying every member of their flocks is mindless, but too great a percentage of each flock is willing to be led to slaughter for the sake of a political issue (usually a fairly narrow one).

Let’s get the facts right, and then the debates will be meaningful. How ’bout it, Ann?

Susan Butcher rides her sled into the sky

Susan Butcher, 4 time winner of the Iditarod dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome, passed away on Saturday after being diagnosed with luekemia last December. I never met her, but she was the source of many good memories of my childhood and young adulthood.

My dad lived in Alaska for 25 years and the Iditarod was one of the many “exotic” things I pictured when I thought of my dad. She was the 2nd woman to win “the last great race” and was the first 3 time defending champion. One of my lasting impressions of Alaska (even though I’ve now been multiple times) is the saying that came from her wins:

Alaska. Where men are men, and women win the Iditarod.

Yes, a rough and other-worldly place, Alaska is also a stark and beautiful place. But, to me, Alaska will always represent another world, one that is slightly removed from the comforts and difficulties we face every day, a storybook world where we can be whatever it is we want to be…and screw those who think we’re crazy.

Susan Butcher had a lot to do with showing me this picture.

What can you do in America?

It’s just over a month away! Departure time. I will then be on the road for 8 months, travelling the highways (and mostly biways) of the US of A.

Now, I’ve been to a great many places in this country and can easily amuse myself. However, I’ve also found that the locals always know the coolest places and things to do. So, what I’m asking for is the coolest things to do in your neck of the woods. Doesn’t matter what type of activity it is–what do you like to do?

Tourist traps can be fine, but not exactly what I’m looking for. Restaurants, parks, beaches, cool buildings, museums, swimming holes, live music dive bars, 102 year old residents with cool stories, the largest Amish furniture manufacturer the world, a local kazoo musician’s club…what ya got?

I’ll think about some sort of prize to bestow for the neatest activity I actually do while on tour.