Andrew Brannan And Kyle Dinkheller
On Tuesday, January 13, the State of Georgia is scheduled to execute Andrew Howard Brannan. He was convicted of the 1998 shooting of Laurens County Deputy Kyle Dinkheller. The embedded video leaves little doubt as to Mr. Brannan’s participation in the crime. However, there are those who say the sentence should be commuted to life in prison. A 2002 document from the Georgia Supreme Court tells the story of a traffic stop gone awry.
“Andrew Brannan left his mother’s house in Stockbridge, Georgia, to drive to his house in Laurens County in the afternoon of January 12, 1998. He was driving his white pickup truck 98 miles per hour on Interstate 16 when Laurens County Deputy Sheriff Kyle Dinkheller clocked his speed with a radar gun. Brannan exited the highway and stopped on a rural stretch of Whipple Crossing Road after the deputy caught up to him. During the pursuit, Deputy Dinkheller activated a video camera which is aimed through his windshield. The camera captured almost all of Brannan’s actions during the ensuing traffic stop. Deputy Dinkheller also wore a microphone. The deputy stopped his patrol car about 20 feet behind Brannan’s truck. Brannan exited his truck and stood near the driver’s side door with his hands in his pockets. The right side of Deputy Dinkheller is visible on the tape as he stood next to his driver’s side door.
Deputy Dinkheller said, “Driver, step back here to me. Come on back here to me.” Brannan said, “Okay,” but did not move. The deputy said, “Come on back. How are you doing today?” Brannan said that he was okay and asked how the deputy was doing, but still did not move. Deputy Dinkheller said he was good and repeated, “[C]ome on back here and keep your hands out of your pockets.” Brannan asked why and the deputy again said, “Keep your hands out of your pockets, sir.” Brannan responded, “Fuck you, Godamit, here I am. Shoot my fucking ass.” He then began dancing in the street, saying, “Here I am, here I am.” The deputy ordered, “Come here. Sir, come here,” but Brannan responded, “Shoot me.”
Deputy Dinkheller radioed for assistance on his belt-mounted radio, and the defendant stopped dancing and approached him. The deputy said, “Sir, get back.” Brannan replied, “Who are you calling, motherfucker?” and then rushed the deputy and a confrontation ensued to the left of the patrol car and off camera. The deputy ordered Brannan to get back nine more times. Brannan replied with “Fuck you” four times … “I am a goddam Vietnam combat veteran.”
Brannan then ran back to his truck and began rummaging around behind the driver’s seat. Deputy Dinkheller remained beside his patrol car and ordered, “Sir, get out of the car.” The right side of the deputy is briefly visible during this time. The deputy had drawn his baton, but not his firearm. Brannan replied that he was in fear of his life. The deputy shouted, “I’m in fear of my life! Get back here now!” Brannan said, “No,” and then pulled a .30 caliber M 1 carbine from his truck. The deputy radioed for help and shouted for him to put the gun down. Instead, Brannan crouched by his open driver’s side door. The deputy shouted for Brannan to put the gun down three more times. Brannan opened fire and the deputy returned fire.
Deputy Dinkheller was hit and shouted, “Shoot, shoot, stop now!” Brannan continued firing and advanced to the front of the patrol car. The deputy apparently tried to take cover behind the patrol car. Brannan exhausted one magazine, reloaded, and continued firing. The microphone recorded the sounds of the deputy being shot. At trial, the medical examiner testified that by this time Deputy Dinkheller had been struck by at least nine bullets, in the arms, legs, buttocks, chest, and head. The medical examiner opined that the deputy, although still breathing into the microphone, had lost consciousness because he was no longer returning fire or crying out when shot. The video shows Brannan cease crouching, take careful aim with his carbine, say “Die, Fucker,” and fire one last shot. Brannan then fled the scene in his truck.
Brannan was found hiding in the woods about 100 yards from his house, and he made incriminating statements after his arrest. He had a gunshot wound to his abdomen. The police found the murder weapon in his house. “
At his trial, Mr. Brannan pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. “Brannan had served as an first lieutenant and forward artillery observer in Vietnam near the Laotian border in 1970 and saw considerable combat, according to military records. He received a Bronze Star for meritorious service. Years later, he was rated 100% disabled with PTSD by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which also found him to be suffering from depression, suicidal thoughts and bipolar disorder.” “At the time of the murder, Mr. Brannan had not taken his medications regularly for at least five days. ”
One explanation offered by Mr. Brannan does not make him look rational. “Regarding his dancing during the altercation, Brannan explained to the police that he once defused a tense situation with an angry man by dancing and saying “shoot me.” He also later told a psychiatrist that he had seen Mel Gibson act that way in the movie “Lethal Weapon.”
Before the trial, Mr. Brannan was examined by ” a Central State Hospital psychiatrist, Dr. Carter… Dr. Carter testified that Brannan was sane during the crime even though the defense presented evidence that he was not.”
Mr. Brannan has other issues with the state. “In a lawsuit filed April 9, Brannan alleges he has been denied “proper and/or adequate treatment” for his mental health disorder and that the G.D.C. doesn’t have a system in place to treat death row inmates with mental health problems.
Brannan, 64, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 1984 following his combat in the Vietnam War, according to his 22-page handwritten court filing. He argues his mental health has “severely” declined while he’s been incarcerated due to a lack of treatment, medication and rehabilitation assistance. At times, his PTSD and bipolar disorder have caused him to become “manic” because of being locked up for 23 hours a day, Brannan contends.
Brannan alleges guards came in yelling during a “shake down” of his housing area Jan. 15 and he had a flashback to combat in Vietnam. He suffered a “psychotic breakdown,” yelling and screaming. Prison mental health workers allegedly agreed to take him to a quiet place, but minutes later, guards handcuffed him and told him to get on his knees. When he questioned the guards, they slammed him to the floor so hard that he defecated on himself.
Brannan alleges he was punched in the ribs, causing bruising and cracking. Despite a broken collarbone, Brannan contends he never received pain medication, according to the court filing.
Both Mr. Brannan and Deputy Dinkheller are white. Georgia seems to follow a pattern of executing a white man for every black man that is executed. The last two executions have been black men. In an ironic touch, during his appeals “Mr. Brannan contends that the State violated Batson v. Kentucky, … by discriminating on the basis of race during jury selection.”
Would Deputy Dinkheller have been faster to fire if Mr. Brannan had been black? There is no way of knowing. Seeing as how Deputy Dinkheller fired 33 shots, and only hit Mr. Brannan once, it might not have made any difference. That statistic is taken from this article, which discusses the mistakes made by Deputy Dinkheller. Another source says: “A few weeks prior to this incident Deputy Dinkheller had been verbally reprimanded by his superior for being “too quick” to draw his gun.”
The execution is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13. It is not known whether the compounding pharmacy used by the state has produced the fatal medication. In the last few executions, mystery drugs used by the state have worked well. Black and white pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. UPDATE Andrew Brannan was executed January 13, 2015. He died at 8:33 pm, with no reported complications from using mystery drugs.
Sapiosexual
The embedded link takes you to Make Love Not Porn: Cindy Gallop at TEDxOxford. Ms. Gallop pitches her venture, makelovenotporn.com The idea is for couples people to submit videos of sexual activity. The submitter pays a fee, as does the person who streams the video. The streaming fees will be shared with the video submitter. If all goes well, people will have a healthier attitude about fucking, and a healthier bank account to go with it. There were comments.
HardforJesus Porn bothers her because after young men watch it enough, they couldn’t possibly get hard looking at her.
tyler lewis the part I am having trouble with is believing that all these young guys want to sleep with this old woman, she is not attractive or sexy so what else could it be
Jonathan Nagel I’ll tell you why she gets fucked by young men. It’s because she has a pussy. Men will fuck anything when horny. I have.
Ariel Tsun I’d do it and I’m not even a guy. Ever heard of a sapiosexual?
The last comment made PG think. The always helpful Urban Dictionary has this to say. Sapiosexual (adj) A form of sexual orientation characterized by a strong attraction to intelligence in others, often regardless of gender and/or conventional attractiveness.(n) A sapiosexual person.”I am sapiosexual. I think geeks and nerds are sexy–I often want to rub my clit against their minds.” -Kayar Silkenvoice. This UD definition is sponsored by nomorerack.
Collinsdictionary says “Sapiosexual is a neologism word (recently constructed word) that has come into common usage;, especially on social networking sites where some people are self-identifying as sapiosexual. Origins: From Latin root sapien, wise or intelligent, and Latin sexualis, relating to the sexes.” There are comments.
blancasd Irony: Using “Sapiophile” or “Sapiosexual”, made up words, to describe how you’re turned on by intelligence. Seriously, has anyone ever been turned on by how dumb someone is? “Oh my, his stupidity makes me moist!” Said no one ever.
r.bannon87 The fact that you used the word moist instead of wet, makes me think your kind of dumb. Now add in the fact that I think your dumb use of the word “moist” is just a little bit appealing. So, not only have I shown you to be wrong, but now I task you with creating the word for my attraction to your lack of intelligence.
If you haven’t lost interest already, there is a rap video and sapiosexual dot com to amuse you. There is even the Sapiosexual Test, sponsored by Decatur Family Psychiatry. Out of dedication to his craft, PG decided to take the Sapiosexual Test.
The test is 20 statements. A sample is “I would find it unbearable to tolerate unintelligence in my romantic partner.” You choose between one and five, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. PG got 55%. This is in the middle. “25 – 75 points = This is an average score. You do find intelligence attractive but not necessary for sexual attraction.” Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Reconstruction
@bitchywaiter Things to not talk about when I am serving your breakfast: how Santa didn’t bring you a vaginal reconstruction this year. ~ @bitchywaiter Things to not talk about while I serve your dinner: your need for a new bra because since you had your baby “your tits are all fucked up.” ~ @murderkroger Guess this really was a playoff game for the Falcons ~ unarmed children killed by the authorities – at least America doesn’t mind when Israel does it. ~ The Tralfamadorian Paradigm in Slaughterhouse Five ~ 1-Marta was built on railroad right of way. To put a station at Turner Field would have meant a major construction project. 2- There are plenty of people who think that the Blank Bowl is equally ridiculous as the Cobb Crackers. ~ @TooMessedUp A woman just dropped a $100 bill next to me. I thought, “What would Jesus do?” So I turned it into wine. Well, I bought a case of wine. ~ @sydscifi @jojokejohn Are point smiles something you get when you fly a lot? ~ I went to channel two news to look at the weather. Then I was looking at this post. An auto start commercial started at channel two. “SOMETIMES BIGGER IS BETTER” ~ @Brimshack It’s sad to think that kind of political porn counts as conservatism. @cheetah1961 ~ What if people were as proud of their ability to listen, as they were of the things they say? ~ snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com. ~ @TooMessedUp How easily you’re offended is directly proportional to how dumb you are. ~ The header ad is from methproject.org “WILL METH MAKE ME DIG AT MY OWN SKIN?”~ A libertarian vote is essentially a vote for the incumbent. If the election had gone to a runoff, then Mr. Deal probably would have won. I was not impressed by Mr. Carter, but the Demos are not good at attracting statewide candidates. ~ “A Libertarian vote is essentially a vote for the incumbent” is a cop out IMO! That’s the reason we have a two party system… because no one wants to vote for the loser. Everyone wants to be a winner and no one things a independent/lib/other is capable of winning. Anyone is capable of winning IF we get off our collective asses as citizens and educate ourselves and those around of us about the alternatives. I admit that I don’t educate myself as well as I should but I try to get as much non-partisan info as I can at least for all the positions that I deem important (some of the “low” local positions, especially uncontested ones) I tend to gloss over. ~ Better safe than sorry is right. Channel 13 News was just talking about this change in Facebook’s privacy policy. Better safe than sorry. As of January 4th, 2015 at 10:50 a.m . Eastern standard time, I do not give Facebook or any entities associated with Facebook permission to use my pictures, information, or posts, both past and future. By this statement, I give notice to Facebook it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308- 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute). NOTE: Facebook is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once it will be tactically allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in the profile status updates. DO NOT SHARE. You MUST copy and paste ~ @poetryduh @briankornell, @mbsycamore, I’ve been busy writing stories, which was maybe the fool’s choice when I could’ve been busy knitting ~ Solid one on one relationships are tough to come by. I am grateful for the few friends that I do have. ~ @mbsycamore you need perspective when you are suspected ~ Anthropomorphic Aramaic shade is the best shade. ~ The following replies are approved. To see additional replies that are pending approval, click Show Pending. Warning: These may contain graphic material. ~ You are going to pay for it. Feemaste ~ Lang said in a statement McCollom told agents she was asleep when her husband, Chief William McColom, shot her so she could not give them any details. ~ Tomorrow, Facebook will change its privacy settings to allow Mark Zuckerberg to come into your house while you sleep and eat your brains with a grapefruit spoon. To stop this from happening, go to Account> Home Invasion Settings> Cannibalism> Brains> Grapefruit, and uncheck the “Tasty” box. Please copy and repost.” ~ Register To Post You can view topic. You cannot start a new topic. You cannot reply to posts. You cannot edit your posts. You cannot delete your posts. You cannot add new polls. You cannot vote in polls. You cannot attach files to posts. You cannot post without approval. ~ The information in this article is not legal advice and should not be construed as legal advice. It is information only. ~ pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
Racists Got Racist
The #blacklivesmatter movement took a dairy inclusive turn this weekend. New York City was the scene when #BlackLivesMatter Protesters Hit Whites Where It Truly Hurts: Brunch.
“… a group of about three dozen demonstrators … hitting such quiche-and-mimosa joints … When they arrived, they began reading the names of black Americans killed by police to diners. From the Washington Post: The protesters, most dressed in black, read the names of African Americans killed by police punctuated with chants of “ashe,” a word from the Yoruba language of West Africa comparable to “amen.” Timed by participants, the ritual takes four-and-a-half minutes — since Michael Brown’s body was left on the street for four-and-a-half hours in Ferguson. … As is to be expected when such a sacred institution is so callously attacked, the protests sparked lots of fervent tweeting. Racists got racist”
The comment about racists getting racist is linked to a tweet. It was part of a lively thread. The first tweet is the one linked Racists got racist. Selected replies follow.
@genophilia It’s fine for blacks to loot, rob, rape and kill whites, but if whites complain about it, now that’s racist. #blackbrunchnyc #ferguson
@adamscolleg @genophilia I personally have had people on twitter call me racist when I mentioned being mugged and pistol whipped.
@adamscolleg @genophilia they don’t. It’s always on the news. We didn’t protest when oj got off after cutting his white wife’s head off
@Lazlos_Closet @genophilia lol ok. And are you sure OJ did it? And was OJ a cop?
Many people are raising questions about the tactics employed in this struggle. One feature is Ten Counterproductive Behaviors of Social Justice Educators. Is the action designed to affect change, or to satisfy the ego of the actor? If you are trying to talk to police, maybe a donut shop would be preferred to a trendy Manhattan bruncherie.
A twitter crusader recently made a comment about having fun by calling out people on “racist” behavior. The verbatim quote is lost in the annals of twitterdom. A google search for “feel good calling out” found an article, Stop Calling People Out. The idea is to get better results by calling forth, rather than calling out. Allow the person to save face, and this person might listen to your message.
Mohandas Gandhi knew a thing, or two, about affecting change. He is quoted as saying “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” (Information about the source is in the linked article.) Maybe the social justice bully is the weak party today. The showboat tactics are an indication of this weakness.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Ladies Night
It is a magic moment. Trolling the shelves of the Chamblee library, and finding an unread book by a fun author. It is a good time waiting to be had. Only trouble is when you finish that box of chocolates, and wonder what chemicals were in those treats.
The story today is Ladies’ Night. It is recent product from the factory of Mary Kay Andrews. The lady has produced work for an adoring audience since 2002.
Grace is a lifestyle blogger. After publishing a piece about something trendy and tasteful, she catches her husband, and assistant, in the act. Before you can say comment moderation, Grace moves in with her mother. An evil judge orders Grace to go to a divorce therapy group.
Grace lives on the gulf coast in Florida. The judge, “divorce coach,” philandering assistant, and estranged spouses are all crooks. The sunsets are spectacular, the police are useless, and the heat is horrible. While looking at a sunset, Grace and her new bf say this is why we live here. Maybe it is better than Birmingham, where the bf’s ex is threatening to move.
Divorce camp is a lively scene. One by one, the ladies, and one man, tell tales of woe. Grace shacks up with the one man, then leaves when his ex tries to win him back. Chamblee54 tries to be a spoiler free blog, so you just have to read the book to see how it turns out.
There are plot twists, surprises, gotchas, and ho ho ho’s. The story gets less believable with every page. When you break into your old house, you probably will not find convincing evidence that your former assistant vandalized your decorating project. If you confront her, she is not going to confess.
If you can check your disbelief, you will probably enjoy Ladies Night. It does have some good points. One of the divorce camp ladies is black, and is seen without undue stereotyping. The story does keep your attention, but that does not make it a good book. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
The Second Great Flood
Here is part one . Somewhere in his drifting around the internet, PG found a reference to the story of Noah and the Ark. A light bulb above his head switched on, and the answer was apparent: Global warming is the second great flood.
In the Biblical story, G-d was upset with the way man was doing things. She gave Noah a heads up, and he was ridiculed by the good citizens of the day. Finally, it rained forty days and forty nights, and everyone except Noah got wet.
In the modern version, G-d sees man making a wasteland of the bountiful planet. An amazing resource like oil is controlled by hateful tyrants, and burned to make cars run. The signs of dis ease are apparent to some, but they are ridiculed by the good citizens of the day.
This time, things are different. Instead of forty days and forty nights, it is two hundred years of burning fossil fuels. It is a time of war, and rumors of war.
Here is part two . PG was shooting from the hip the other day, and said that G-d was causing global warming. At first it seemed a bit goofy, but like other thoughts about her (G-d is in the details,) the more PG thinks, the more sense it makes.
A lot has to do with your idea of who G-d is. (maybe the four other w’s… what, when, where, and why… should also apply.) Although PG would not put global warming past Jehovah or Mary’sbabydaddy, those conceptions are just a bit obsolete. The idea of G-d that PG uses is the fifth element, to go with earth, air, fire and water.
The moonies have another view…that G-d is the difference between a human being and five dollars worth of chemicals. There seems to be an overall body of knowledge that makes the earth function. A DNA, or software. This framework of knowledge is how PG views G-d.
Right now, man is living in a paradise. A planet with earth, air, water and fire that is uniquely fabricated to support intelligent life. The role that G-d played in facilitating this planet is a mystery. There is a balance of life here…the right amount of gravity, the right ph balance in the oceans, the proper mix of gases in the atmosphere. Man has been granted this paradise…it was not earned, it was given out of the bounty of G-d. And man has done his best to destroy the environment. Promiscuously burning fossil fuels is just part of the damage.
There does seem to be a plan to deal with this. If the level of CO2 in the air goes above a certain level, then the temperatures will start to rise. This has been proven time and time again. There are nay sayers…some of whom are not on fossil fuel industry payrolls… who say this is a natural process, and has nothing to do with the actions of man. These people are similar to the upstanding citizens who ridiculed Noah when he built his ark.
It should be noted that the story of Noah and the ark might be a myth. That is, it is full of symbols and allegory, and is not to be taken literally. It could be that in an ancient time, G-d got fed up with the evil deeds of man, and decided to teach a lesson. This could be what is happening today. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. This is a repost.
Famous Latin Phrases
It looks like the last internet quiz of 2014 is Can You Translate 12 Famous Latin Phrases? Latin is special to PG. After sliding through eight levels of education with minimal effort, PG took first year Latin in ninth grade, and flunked. The first teacher to give you an F will always be special.
A few point from that class came in handy today. Et is something like and. The first person singular of a verb usually ends in o. Est is version of the dreaded to be verb. “Dum Spiro Spero” comes out “while i breathe i hope.” It has nothing to do with Spiro Agnew.
The production is an advertising gimmick. Sponsors include Columbus By Palomino RVs, Create A Custom Mascot, Online Surveys by Google, and 2-for-1 Europe Cruising. One wonders how many Ford Focus drivers copped a deal because of this quiz.
Each of the twelve “classic” mottoes had three possible answers. If you are good at multiple choice testing, you should be able to figure out most of the answers. An example is number eight. The phrase is “Errare Humanum Est.” The possibilities were “to err is human, erosion of humanity, erase human failure.” Those who choose erosion of humanity automatically fail.
Here are the twelve phrases. “Carpe Diem, Semper Fidelis, In Vino Veritas, Amor Vincit Omnia, Veritas Vos Liberabi, Aere Perennius, Volens Et Potens, Errare Humanum Est, Dum Spiro Spero, Cogito Ergo Sum, E Pluribus Unum, Novus Ordo Seclorum.”
PG got ten of the twelve correct the first time. He missed “Aere Perennius” and “Novus Ordo Seclorum.” The last page ads include Bible Trivia Quiz, and Tracfone. PG uses one of those products. The pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Or Other Factors
Louis C.K. said, about Francis Ford Coppola, that when Mr. Coppola wants to do something he just does it. Doesn’t wait for a deal, doesn’t wait on financing, he just does it. (That is not an exact quote. It is on the current WTF podcast.) ~ Three rules for blogging, or whatever you want to call this thing. Don’t spill your beverage. Link to your source. Have fun. ~ co MAHDification make a commodity coMODEification make a commode the two concepts are surprisingly similar ~ Gephyromania-a passion for bridges- wordoftheday subfuscous – dark,dusky,somber sponsored by tracfone ~ power vulnerability transcript ~ @postcrunk i’ll tolerate all the systematic oppression as long as i can express my identity through the public display of consumer goods i’ve purchased ~ @TheHashtagGame Dear @mpbachmeier, You’ve been flagged as a troll by @TheHashtagGame. You were provided a private opportunity to remedy and declined. #BLOCK ~ @TheTweetOfGod I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Bible is 100% accurate. Especially when thrown at close range. ~ @NationalCenter So where do you stand? Are you really a conservative, or do you just claim to be one? Take our quiz and find out! ~ Last year we did Imbolc on the night of the Super Bowl. This year, that will be February 1. There is something naughty about ignoring what the media orders us to do. ~ It gets mighty lonely telling people that Santa Claus is not real. I sometimes wonder how good this so called integrity is. Maybe it is better to have people around you. ~ My third grade teacher said to never buy books. If you want something, you can find it at the library. She probably did not go to yard sales. ~ @marcmaron Ranking artists and making lists is a dead culture’s version of intellectualism. ~ When you are through with a book you take it back and the library. They find a place to keep it. When you move, it is still there. ~ This post violates an unnumbered commandment: Thou shalt not install auto start media players. ~ This is how the free market operates. If the producer, and the distributor, cannot come to an agreement that is mutually profitable, then the deal is off. ~ Dan Savage tells the story of a man in Kentucky who has sex with his horse. Mr. Savage asked if the horse was male or female. The Kentucky man said it was female … I AM NOT HOMOSEXUAL ~ A Russ Meyer movie,”Vixen,” played at that theater. You could dial a phone number, and hear an actress invite you to see the movie. ~ I will not be posting my year in review. Facebook’s algorithm appears to believe that I’m a total slut– and we all already know that. ~ Hariet Brown has a safer spaces policy, and we ask anyone within our space to follow that policy. This means that we do not tolerate abuse of any kind, including sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination based on ability, age, cultural background, education, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, language, nationality, physical appearance, race, religion, sexual orientation, or other factors. Please be respectful of people’s identities, experiences, opinions, beliefs and boundaries, and be aware of the effect your language and behavior has on others (despite what your intentions may be). If you violate this policy, we have the right to ask you to leave. Our full safer space policy is on our page, so check that out or message us if you have any questions or concerns. ~ @postcrunk first no tooth fairy then no santa and no god and then your parents are only human your government is corrupt and the universe is a hologram ~ pictures from . “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
When You Can’t Say Anything Good
Dangerousminds , which is seldom at a loss for words, posted the video of Bob Dylan seen above. The young Mr. Zimmerman is in angry young man mode, and discusses the concept of an all picture Time magazine. All pictures, no words. This may be where this blog is headed.
Writers block is real. You have all of modern media at your beck and call, and yet you don’t have a message. TwentyTwoWords posts the story of a medical study into writers block. The study wastes no words in it a pithy treatment of this issue. It is an unspoken masterpiece, the treatment that dare not speak it’s name. The research was financed by a block grant.
The findings of this study were replicated in 2007. The report is included here, in it’s entirety. The editor noted “I did not change one word, and this is a first in my tenure as editor.” There is no word on whether the report was submitted before the deadline.
Ben Hecht tells a story in his autobiography “Child of the Century”. As a young, underpaid newspaper writer in Chicago, Mr. Hecht was hired to participate in literary debates. In the era before movies and radio, these were considered after dinner entertainment. One night, Mr. Hecht got together with his opponent, and hatched a plan. The topic of the debate was “People who attend literary debates are idiots”. The first speaker did not say a word, but gestured towards the crowd. The second speaker said, “you win.”
“Child of the Century” is now out of print. In 1994, PG thought he was going to have to move, and the first step was to throw away things. His copy of “Child of the Century” was one thing he pitched.
The sound that you hear is one hand clapping. Those reading with one hand can join in with the other one. Appreciation is always welcome. Vintage pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library” .
This is a repost. PG thinks writer’s block should be called writer’s tackle, but few agree. The owner of this blog has stumbled into a session of contract employment, and does not have as much free time as before. The internet will survive.
German Pastry Christmas
PG got an email today from Allen Hunt a radio announcer. The letter had a Christmas message. PG read the story, and heard the ding ding ding of his BS detector. Here is the story.
Merry Christmas! As the wars about the public celebration of Christmas become filled with pettiness and hostility on all sides, be not dismayed. Your celebration of Christmas depends solely on you and nobody else. I heard the story of Oswald Goulter years ago and it reminds me of that simple fact. I am responsible for how I embrace the gift of Christmas.
Oswald Goulter served as an agri-missionary to China. On his way back to the USA for furlough during World War II. His sponsor mission agency gave him a ticket to get home by boat. When Oswald arrived in the port of India, New Delhi, he found boats filled with Jews, housed there to protect their lives from Nazi Germany. The Jewish boats couldn’t land anywhere. They were not accepted or welcome anywhere at the time
Oswald went to see them and said, “Merry Christmas!”
“We’re Jewish,” they responded.
“I know, I know. But what would you like for Christmas. Merry Christmas!”
“Don’t you understand? We are JEWISH.”
“Merry Christmas. What do you want?”
To get rid of this nuisance, they said, “How about some German pastry? That sure would be grand.”
Oswald scoured the city until he found a bakery that made German pastry. Oswald sold his ticket for home to get money to purchase some pastry. He went back to the boat and shared it with them.
As he spoke about this experience later in one of his supporting churches, a very prim member of the congregation stood and asked, “Why did you do that? They were Jewish. They don’t even believe in Jesus.””I know,” Oswald replied, “but I do.”
PG sent a reply to the original email. This post is being written an hour later, so it is not unreasonable that Mr. Hunt has not replied.
Allen do you have any proof that Oswald Goulter existed? This story seems a bit far fetched. I googled Oswald Goulter, and all I see is the same story told over and over.
Why did he go to India? This is over the Himalayan mountains, or around Vietnam. Couldn’t he do just as well in North Asia, or even Russia?
When did this incident happen? There are mixed indications in the versions I read, and no exact dates. If this was after WW2, then restrictions about admitting Jews would start to loosen up.
Why German pastries? After all that the German people had done to them, this seems a bit strange.
There are hundreds of real, verifiable Christmas stories out there. This one seems a bit fishy.
After sending the email, PG hunkered down in the google.(Snopes never heard of Oswald Goulter) It seems that Oswald John Goulter was born June 22, 1890 in Oklahoma. He died in March 1985, in Santa Clara California. He was interviewed in 1971 as part of a project involving missionaries to China. “This interview supplements the account of Goulter’s life in Wilfred Powell’s Scattered Seed. Mr. Goulter portrays the disruption in Chinese life in the area of Lu-chou (Hofei) in Anhwei province during the years 1922 to 1951. He tells how the Communists were able to take advantage of the disorder caused by warlords and bandits and the Japanese invasion to drive the nationalists from power. He also discusses his conception of practical Christianity and its applicability in China.”
There is another story about Mr. Goulter. After the communist takeover, Mr. Goulter and his wife, Irene, were taken into custody. Mr. Goulter was beaten repeatedly, but refused to renounce his faith. Finally he was released (or, in some versions, escaped). This imprisonment is generally agreed to for three years. If he left in 1951, that would be consistent with the time line of the communist takeover.
In the Hunt version of the story, Oswald Goulter left during World War 2.
This does not answer the question of why Mr. Goulter would go to India, before America. It also does not account for the appearance of the Jews in India, six years after the end of World War 2. It should also be noted that India was in chaos, with the advent of Independence and the partition. Would they have Jews hiding in the city?
There is a book, Scattered Seed: The Story of the Oswald Goulters, Missionaries in China 1922-51. PG does not know if it discusses German pastries.
This is a repost. The original had several comments about Mr. Goulter, which we will share. Allen Hunt sent a reply, which was lost in a hard drive crash. It was rather snide. Dr. Hunt has quit sending PG emails. His radio show is no longer being broadcast.
Lindsay goulter said, on February 26, 2010 at 3:26 am Hi oswald goulter was my great uncle.Born in Auss. If you would like to know more about him please reply to my e/mail. lindsay g
Teena Anderson said, on October 30, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Oswald Goulter is my grandfather. He was a missionary to China for 30 years. His story is told in the book Scattered Seed by Wilfred Powell. Oswald and Irene had 3 daughters, Lovena, Doris ( who is still living!) and Jean. Doris and Jean were born in China. Jean was my mother-she spoke excellent chinese with a Hefei accent. I am the eldest grandchild. They lost a baby boy born in China and buried him in the mountains of Kuling, where the missionaries would go for the summer.
My husband, Hugh Anderson (Presbyterian minister) and I have taught in China with the Amity Foundation. Our first summer of teaching we traveled to Hefei and met Rev. Zhu who helped Oswald after he had been confined in the internment camps. They were great friends. Rev. Zhu’s son is now a Disciple of Christ minister here in the United States. Teena Anderson, Medford, Oregon.
chamblee54 said, on October 30, 2010 at 10:09 pm
Thanks for stopping by. Do you know if the story about the German Pastries was true? It is an inspiring story, but as I noted in my post, there are a few issues with it.
Miaohua Jiang said, on January 19, 2011 at 11:06 pm
The book by Wilfred E. Powell titled Scattered Seed came in mail yesterday. I searched in the book for any evidence that this story might actually happened. Unfortunately, the story as it is stated never happened. At least it did not happen in India.
The sabbatical year was between 1936 and 1937. The family did take the western route going through Europe to return to US. They arrived in US in September 1936. Christmas of 1936 was their first Christmas in US in many many years. They were not able to return to China because of Japenese invasion until late 1937. Mr. Goulter did help refugees in Shanghai around Christmas time 1937. The book did mention that Shanghai also had ships with Jewish refugees. So, the story could have happened in Shanghai, China, instead of India. It did not involve boat tickets. Mr. Goulter had clothings shipped from Los Angeles to Shanghai. Also Mr. Goulter was interned by Japenese for many years, not communists.
chamblee54 said, on January 20, 2011 at 12:02 am
Thank you for following through. That is an inspiring story, too bad it can’t be proven to be true.
Miaohua Jiang said, on January 1, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Doris is visting us this new year’s day of 2011!
Miaohua Jiang said, on January 4, 2011 at 2:23 pm
This is what I got from my conversation with Doris, O.J.’s second daughter. According to Doris, Mr. Goulter did not like his first name. Chinese people would simply call him Gou Shee-Sang (Mr. Gou). Doris was born in Hefei in 1924. Her mother homeschooled the girls. By the time she was 10, they felt it was time for girls to have a more formal education in Shanghai. Before they left for Shanghai, they travelled for a year to Europe, going through possibly the Hongkong – India route. So, it was around 1934 – a time Jews were forced to escape Germany. So, the story is credible. The girls stayed in Shanghai until 3 month before Pearl Harbor was attacked when American government ordered evacuation of women and children. Mr. Goulter stayed behind and was imprisoned by invading Japenese because of his British citizenship. I am ordering this book and hopefully when Doris visits again next time I will have a chance to verify a few more details with her. Amazingly, after leaving Hefei for more than 75 years, she can still speak the local dialect and sing local children songs forgotten even by the local people.
Teena Anderson said, on October 30, 2010 at 10:09 pm
Oswald Goulter was my grandfather. He was born in Australia. He heard about the Boxer rebellion and felt called to go to China. He came to the U. S. to get more education. He married Irene Goucher (my grandmother) in Oklahoma and they spent 30 years together in China. They had 3 daughters, 2 of whom were born in China. My mother was born in Tsingtao but spent 10 years in Hefei (Lu Chow Fu). She had a great Hefei accent. They also had a baby boy that died and was buried in the Kuling mountains. (Lu Shan)Oswald Goulters life was written by Wildfred Powell in the book Scattered Seed. Our family still have ties to Chinese that were ministered by my grandfather. There are many more accounts of what my grandfather accomplished in China. He loved the Chinese and they loved him. Teena Anderson of Medford, Or.
Lauri Penry said, on March 25, 2012 at 8:27 am
My grandparents (Dr. and Mrs. Paul R. Slater) served as medical missionaries in China with the Goulters. I have heard the story many times of how my grandfather met up with Mr. Goulter, and he wasn’t wearing shoes. So my grandfather gave him his. The next time they crossed each other’s paths, Mr. Goulter was again without shoes. He told my grandfather that he found someone who needed them more than he did.
I was just going through some pictures at my parents’ house this weekend, and found one with Mr. Goulter in it. I am in the process of reading Scattered Seed now. My parents were attending Phillips University when Mr. Goulter was a member of the faculty. From what I have always heard about this man, he was exceptional, and a true servant!
John McBride said, on May 10, 2012 at 10:10 am
Oswald Goulter is my grand uncle and he was born in Australia. I had the pleasure of meeting him and Irene in in either 1973/4 when they visited Australia and later in San Jose in 1981. He was quite some bloke who’s achievements were quite incrediable. My grand father was a potato farmer at a place called Irrewillipe, about 100 miles west of Melbourne. One year my brother and I spent our Easter weekend (4 days in Australia) helping dig up the crop. At night, my grandfather read Oswald’s letters to us by kerosene lamp beside the wood stove in the kitchen. As a ten year old, those letters were more exciting to listen to than reading my Superman comics.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
Phoebus Cartel
99pi has a show out, Episode 144: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. It seems as though a firehouse in Livermore CA has a light bulb that has burned continuously since 1901. It is a big deal, with a BULBCAM shining worldwide.
“The bulb is a genuine heirloom from the dawn of electric illumination, built by one of its pioneers: Adolphe Chaillet…. Chaillet liked to do a theatrical product demo where he’d have a big theatre marquee-like light bulb bank. In it would be one bulb of his own design, and the rest would be bulbs by competing brands. Then, Chaillet would start slowly dialing up the power. One by one, the competitors’ bulbs would all explode. Every time, Chaillet’s would be the last one shining.”
At some point in the show, the Phoebus Cartel was discussed. By amazing coincidence, today is the ninetieth anniversary of planned obsolescence.
“On 23 December 1924, a group of leading international businessmen gathered in Geneva for a meeting that would alter the world for decades to come. Present were top representatives from all the major light bulb manufacturers, including Germany’s Osram, the Netherlands’ Philips, France’s Compagnie des Lampes, and the United States’ General Electric. As revelers hung Christmas lights elsewhere in the city, the group founded the Phoebus cartel, a supervisory body that would carve up the worldwide incandescent light bulb market, with each national and regional zone assigned its own manufacturers and production quotas. It was the first cartel in history to enjoy a truly global reach.”
The idea was to produce a light bulb that did not last as long as previously manufactured items. With a shorter lifespan, the producers could sell more bulbs. Where the pre-Phoebus bulb lasted up to 2000 hours, the new bulbs had a mandated life of 1000 hours.
It is an urban legend. There are light bulbs that never burn out. The government uses them. This bit of high school wisdom has been around for generations.
The screw-type light bulb socket was invented by Thomas Edison, and named E26/E27. It’s use was mandated by the Phoebus Cartel. This standard is still in use today. The light bulb jokes started much later, about the same time the chicken decided to cross the road.
The Phoebus Cartel did not last very long. The major light bulb manufacturers were on opposite sides of World War II. The Cartel had been on shaky ground, both legally, and in the free marketplace. The War was the last straw. The 1924 agreement was nullified in 1940. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
The War On Christmas
Merry Christmas used to be a greeting of good will. It meant, I am happy that you survived the year, have a nice holiday. It was not an in your face gesture, designed to express a religious opinion.
Christmas used to be a time of peace on earth and good will towards men. There were parties, gift giving, and holiday time from school and work. The religious part has always been there, but if you wanted to ignore it you could.
Now, the Jesus Worshipers want it all. The fact that our culture is dominated by Jesus worship is not good enough, they want it all. And they don’t care if it offends you. Peace on earth, and good will towards men, is an obsolete concept.
We don’t know when Jesus was born. Some scholars say he was born in the spring, but it was a long, long time ago. When the early Christians were trying to convert the Romans, they decided to have a birthday celebration for Jesus at the time of a pagan holiday. It is the winter solstice, the time of renewal at the end of the year. It is an ideal time for a religious feast.
Many people, PG included, have been hurt by Jesus. Christianism is an aggressive religion, and if you don’t agree, you can expect to be insulted and humiliated. As society becomes more and more secular, the Jesus worshipers get more aggressive. Many people have come to see the birth of Jesus as something to be mourned, rather than celebrated.
PG used to enjoy saying Merry Christmas. To him, it was a greeting of good will. Now, it is taking sides in a nasty fight. Maybe the proper thing to say is have a nice day.
And now for something completely different. PG found this recently, and it is not original to him. If you really need a link to the original, we will look harder.
When I was young and impressionable, I heard the Co-Adjutor Archbishop of Bombay preach on the subject of Christmas. He made the point that the adjective “merry” actually means “to be showing the influence of alcohol”, that is to be at least partially drunk. So to wish someone a Merry Christmas is really to wish them a Drunken Christmas.
And he went on to point out that as drunkenness is a sin, and moreover it is illegal to ply an infant with alcohol, a “merry Christmas” not only treats the birth of Christ as an occasion for sin, it also excludes the guest of honour Himself from the celebration.
That is a perversion of the meaning of Christmas — yet how often do we hear “true Christians” insist on saying “merry Christmas”? Why don’t they just wish the world happiness and joy?
This holiday feature is a repost. The pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Chamblee54 
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