Curious George and the Nazis? (Is this thing still on?)

Nearly four months later, regular service at Petulant Monkey will soon be restored. Cross-country moves tend to upset the best-laid plans. In the meantime, since I promised monkeys, the enthralling origin of Curious George:

Curious George's Wartime Escape Exhibit Opens in New Hampshire - Paw Nation

image courtesy purpleslog

timothy dee

Indiana Summer Fades...

It's not quite Labor Day yet, and most Indiana days still see 90 degrees in the rearview mirror. Something in the air around Naptown, though, foretells the downfall of this Midwestern summer. Last week, I took a walk along the Canal Path between Butler University and the Indianapolis Museum of Art to enjoy some of summer's last gasps.

Indy Greenways points out: "As early as the 1960s, Indianapolis citizens began voting with their feet to make the Towpath a greenway. Even today, the single track made by thousands of joggers and walkers is rutted and visible."  On this day, however, human beings were outnumbered by turtles sunning themselves in the shrinking pockets of late afternoon sun.




On the return path, I ducked across the bridge to Holcomb Gardens on the
Butler University Campus.  Holcomb Gardens has long held a place in favorite spots of my hometown.  Most of the flowers were still in bloom, and a rabble of butterflies danced about the beds. (As an aside, yes, I looked up the term for a group of butterflies! There seems to be some dissension, but even the New York Times has used "rabble." Plus, it sounds way cooler than "flight, flutter, or swarm."  As a further aside, a group of monkeys is commonly known as a "troop."  Being rebels by nature, petulant monkeys prefer to go by the lesser-used terms "barrel or cartload." In a final, progressively more pointless aside, my favorite animal collective noun is a "murder" of crows.)

Strangely, after a bit of searching, I was unable to find a website dedicated to Holcomb Gardens or its history.  Get with the program, Butler! Surely such an Indy icon deserves an online tribute. I certainly have fond, if somewhat painful memories, of many illicit, late night campaigns of 'Capture The Flag' amidst the inky darkness of Holcomb. Fortunately, I did stumble upon some good stuff regarding the Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium that stands everlasting vigil on the hill above the Gardens.  This beacon of science and learning was a staple field trip for elementary and secondary schools back in my day. I hope this remains the case.
 



The centerpiece statue and fountain of Persephone is my favorite part of
Holcomb Gardens. Sadly, I can't remember the last time the fountain was
functioning during one of my admittedly infrequent visits.

From Pantheon.org: "Persephone is the goddess of the underworld in Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Persephone was such a beautiful young woman that everyone loved her, even Hades wanted her for himself. One day, when she was collecting flowers on the plain of Enna, the earth suddenly opened and Hades rose up from the gap and abducted her. None but Zeus, and the all-seeing sun, Helios, had noticed it.

Broken-hearted, Demeter wandered the earth, looking for her daughter until Helios revealed what had happened. Demeter was so angry that she withdrew herself in loneliness, and the earth ceased to be fertile.  Knowing this could not continue much longer, Zeus sent Hermes down to Hades to make him release Persephone. Hades grudgingly agreed, but before she went back he gave Persephone a pomegranate (or the seeds of a pomegranate, according to some sources). When she later ate of it, it bound her to underworld forever and she had to stay there one-third of the year. The other months she stayed with her mother. When Persephone was in Hades, Demeter refused to let anything grow and winter began. This myth is a symbol of the budding and dying of nature."

Holcomb Gardens also features some engraved quotations dedicated to the giants of Western Civilization and Philosophy. Included are a couple from two of my beloved progressive thinkers that are particularly cogent in these troubled times. Jean-Jacques Rousseau:

And Thomas Jefferson:



As it appears increasingly certain that my destiny calls me to leave Indianapolis alongside summer, I hope to make a final visit (at least for now) to the Canal Path and Holcomb Gardens in the next week or so. This oasis in mid-metropolitan cacophony continues to be a tonic for my soul.  While my future lies westward, I'll close with the view gazing north:

Here's to upturned fortunes and brighter futures...

Fare Thee Well, Sweet Lou.

Things did not end the way any of us had hoped. In this life, they rarely do. In the case of 1060 West Addison on the North Side of Chicago, this is especially true.

[Photo courtesy of Hilarie on Flickr]

Nevertheless, I've learned over your four seasons with the Cubs that you are indeed a savvy, smart, baseball man. And, more importantly, you are a good, decent, and loyal human being. Now go be with your ailing mother in her final days. Return to Wrigley and enjoy a game from the right field bleachers when you're ready and times are better. You can even put on your uniform one last time. Godspeed, Sweet Lou.

Update:  The Trib has the post-game press conference video online. It's both poignant and a little hard to watch. "This'll be the last time I put on my uniform."

Are There 18 Monkeys In Your Pants?

Or are you just happy to see me?

Mexico arrests man with 18 monkeys around his waist

Dusky Titi Monkey (Image courtesy brian.gratwicke)

I promised you there would be monkeys...

timothy dee

President Eisenhower Has Already Read Monday's Washington Post

Rumors abound that The Washington Post will publish a devastating investigative piece by Dana Priest detailing the shady world of intelligence and defense contracting on Monday, July 19.  Security agencies and their contractors are understandably nervous. Nearly fifty years ago, Republican President (and General) Dwight Eisenhower tried to warn us in his Farewell Address that this reckoning would come:

Of course we didn't listen, and now we have the voracious military industrial complex that we deserve.  Veteran national security reporter Timothy Shorrock notes that "70 percent of our intelligence budget goes to these (private) companies." Since little or no oversight of these corporations is practical, corruption and abuse undoubtedly runs rampant. In truth, to paraphrase Senator Durbin, when it comes to intelligence and defense issues, they practically own Washington and ensure that the United States is in a cycle of perpetual war. Hopefully the report will pull no punches, but, given the amount of power already ceded to groups like Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen, and Blackwater (now: Xe), it's hard to imagine much changing in the near future.

UPDATE: Here is the article. And it's a doozy...

timothy dee

Naptown Shootings. Too Quick To Blame...

So, I'm saddened to learn that there have been multiple incidents of gunfire in downtown Indianapolis during the second Saturday of Indiana Black Expo. The number of wounded is reportedly up to nine. Summer Celebration has become a tragic scene.

Most of the local media, while not necessarily explicitly, seems to assume that this is another instance of black-on-black crime. Even my African-American friends in the twittersphere, some of whom were working or celebrating downtown at the time, reflexively blame the youth of their own community. Why?

It may turn out that this is indeed the case.  But, so far, I've seen no evidence of it one way or the other.  In these days, how can we so dismissively rule out the possibility of hate crimes?

(image courtesy qwrrty)

I'm not prepared to do so. If my country insists on practicing "civil" discourse in this manner, this is the path we're headed down.  It may not have happened tonight in Indianapolis, the city in which Bobby Kennedy's inspiring and frank words helped avoid violence after the assassination of Dr. King. But, rest assured, somewhere in America that night will come.  Unless and until we can all figure out how to just get along...

UPDATE: The Indianapolis Star is reporting that Police have detained a suspect in 9 of the 10 shootings. He is indeed an African-American, and a minor to boot. There is suspicion of gang-related activity.

"Think" - Hot New Mudkids Track

My buddy Rusty Redenbacher and his partner Elp-Mass continue to spread their wings musically and lyrically. "Think" was written, mixed, shot, and edited all on July 10, 2010.  Even if you think you don't like hip-hop, I dare you to not appreciate this:

MUDKIDS - 'Think' demo (webcam vid by @RustyMk2 @MUDKIDS)

More music  at www.themudkids.com or follow them on twitter @mudkids.Technorati Tags: music, mudkids, rusty, hip-hop

Grading World Cup 2010 Part 1a - The Yanks (Defense & Midfield)

Soon, the circus will pull up the tent stakes and leave South Africa behind. As the World's Greatest Sporting Tournament winds down, it's time to look back on the month that was.  Now, I am not a teacher. I don't even play one on TV (like the immortal Gabe Kaplan,) but I'm going to be distributing report cards to various aspects of the Cup. First up, that intrepid group of Bradley's Boys we often call "The Yanks."


(image courtesy jasonwhat)


Overall: B
As champions of CONCACAF and winners of the qualifying group, expectations for this edition of The Yanks were arguably higher than ever. As the qualifying process wore on, however, several warning signs were already beginning to appear. Mounting injury concerns and a maddening habit of surrendering an early goal should have sounded the sirens. Still, a relatively soft group draw of England, Slovenia, and Algeria, only served to solidify the conventional wisdom that failure to advance to the second round would be viewed as failure.

As we all witnessed, our golden boy Landon Donovan rescued us with that last gasp strike against Algeria. Not only had we advanced to the second round, we went through as top of the group! In that sense, our lads probably performed a bit better than expected in the group stage. In the end, it's hard to be disappointed, but also feels like a bit of an opportunity lost.

Goalkeepers & Backs: B-
Five goals allowed in four matches is not a bad record, but conceding an early goal in three of the four is unforgivable. Against England, Slovenia, and Ghana, the Yanks found themselves behind by the 13th minute!  Three of the five goals seemed to result from confusion between the central defenders. Oguchi Onyewu's lack of match fitness, as well as the necessity to deploy Carlos Bocanegra at left back, are excuses not reasons. Steve Cherundolo was generally excellent, while Jay DeMerit vacillated from terrible to very good. And, in the last two matches, Jonny Bornstein was surprisingly adequate. In a tournament rife with howling goalkeeping mishaps, Tim Howard was mostly immune. According to his very high standards, though, there was little to write home about.

Midfield A-
It was a tale of a bit ugly, a little bad, and substantial good. The Ugly: Unfortunately, Ricardo Clark was unable to make the jump in class.  He foundered against England, then coughed up possession easily and catastrophically early against Ghana before being replaced in the first half after earning a silly yellow card.  The Bad: Jose Torres only contributed 45 minutes against Slovenia. He looked lost defensively, but did manage to strike a very dangerous free kick before being substituted. Clint Dempsey should count himself very fortunate not to have been sent off for a stray elbow by hapless referee Koman Coulibaly in the opening minute of the Slovenia match. The Good: Despite that indiscretion, Dempsey was a constant threat to opposing defenses and scored the speculative equalizer against England. When called upon Maurice Edu was solid, notching what seemed the clear winner to everyone aside from Mr. Coulibaly against Slovenia. Michael Bradley was sensational, tireless and combative throughout. His goal late in the Slovenia match was mainly a testament to his will. Landon Donovan, quite simply, emerged as the greatest American international to ever play the game in South Africa.  From his stunning pronouncement versus Slovenia, heroic winning strike against Algeria, to the calm penalty that drew us level in the Ghana match, his brilliance continually snatched American hopes from the brink of despair.  Know hope.

Next: Grading World Cup 2010 Part 1b - The Yanks (Attack & Coaching)
Technorati Tags: World Cup, USA, South Africa, 2010

Americans Do Watch The World Cup

Over at The Daily Dish, Andrew Sullivan entitled a post: "Why Americans Don't Watch The World Cup."  While the content of the post mostly relies on stuff Dana McCourt wrote at The Edge Of The American West, I take issue with it's very premise.

The USA-England match drew more viewers to ABC & Univision than the 1st 4 games of the NBA Finals. Indeed, ABC & Univision can boast viewership of about 17 million, roughly the same as the 17.65 million averaged by ITV1 in the U.K. for the same match.  Obviously, the US market is much larger, but this is a significant achievement nonetheless.

Furthermore, the USA-Ghana match drew even better: 19.4 million viewers between ABC and Univision on a Saturday afternoon. That beats:

• 2009 World Series: 19.1 million (average per game)
• 2010 NBA Finals: 18.1 million (average per game)
• 2010 final round of the Masters: 16.7 million
• 2010 Kentucky Derby: 16.5 million

Most, if not all, of the World Series and NBA Finals games were scheduled in prime-time, against frightened counter-programming from competing networks. So, if the premise is: the World Cup doesn't draw as well as the Super Bowl in America, then I'd have to agree. Otherwise, I protest.  Please, Andrew, don't slide down the slippery slope that has consumed bedfellows as strange as Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann!

Like it or not, Americans do watch the World Cup. And in significant numbers!

timothy dee

The Petulant Monkey Has Landed

Welcome to my personal blog. I can only assume, of course, that you are lost. If so, Google can help you find your way again.  If not... Wow! Thanks for stopping by!

At the outset, I'm not sure what this place will be about. We'll see where it takes me, if anywhere at all. At the least, it should provide a place for me to vent and think out loud without annoying my friends on Facebook and Twitter. At the most, who knows?  In any event, I would expect lots of petulance and a few monkeys.

timothy dee