Women Weaken Legs (They Also Sexually Assualt Football Players)

Singer-actress Jessica Simpson is not- I repeat, NOT!- welcome in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Ever since Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo performed at his personal worst in the Cowboys' loss to the Philadelphia eagles on Sunday, everyone- from Cowboys' running back Terrell Owens to just about everyone else- are blaming Romo's failures on the field to a certain not too good of a singer, and even worse actress (but still a fuckable hottie- at least as far as this blogger is concerned).

T.O. playfully called her out in a recent radio interview.

But hey, the actress-as-good-luck-charm still works for a certain New England quarterback, though. The Patriots are still undefeated.

Women- and a Man- Sexually Assault UNC Football Players (http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=4036143, http://wral.com/news/local/story/2201154/
http://newsobserver.com/2104/story/842046.html ):

Two women and a male accomplice are charged with the December 16 attack on three University of North Carolina football players.

According to Chapel Hill police, the three players- unnamed by the ABC News and WRAL-TV report (which you can click to next to the subtopic title)- were bound by tape, and threatened by a knife. The three, Monique Jenice Taylor, 28; Tnika Monta Washington, 29, and Michael Troy Lewis, 32, are charged with three counts of kidnapping, three counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, and one count of resiting arrest. Washington and Taylor each face additional charges of first degree sexual offense. Lewis faces charges on robbery, possession of stolen goods, and assault on government officials.

(C)2007 The DWA Organisation (Darren W. Alexander). All Rights Reserved.

The Blue Man

You've heard of the Blue Man Group- those funny musicians who play improvised instruments (you know, anything from PVC pipes to just about anything they can get their hands on).

MethodicalMadness/TBS/YouTube.com

But unlike the members of BMG, this man can't take his paint off. Because his skin really is blue. Or bluish.

Ephraim178/YouTube.com/CNN/KFSN-TV

About 14 years ago, Paul Karason, 57, of Madera, California used a substance called colloidal silver, which is made from extracting silver from metal. It converts into water with electrical currents, and you drink it. It's billed as a cure.

Karason says that he rubbed it on his face, and that may have contributed to the rare, yet harmless condition called Argyria. (go to http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria for information). Kind of the opposite of vitiligo, perhaps.

He does not plan on treating this.

(C)2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Second Anthology Released

Tonight, the release and reading of See the Water Rise/Ver Las Aguas Subir took place at First United Methodist Church, in the Goose Hollow area of southwest Portland. Over 80 people read their selections. This book is published by Write Around Portland, the folks who published the summer anthology, Unexpected Metaphors, in August.

I was among them. But this almost didn't happen.

You see, I had initially chosen not to read my submission, Pierced Body Parts- not because of fear of embarrassment (I'm not afraid to read in front of crowds), but in part out of consideration for others. The last reading, I did all I could to downplay my reading- a lot of people said that my piece, Venice on the Scioto- was among the best. In other words, I kept myself from letting my head swell (though the blog entry I wrote on that was kind of a in-house joke). But after much coaxing from friends, I finally acquiesced. (I even caved in to find out which submission the Write Around Portland group had chosen. Initially, I had intentionally kept myself in the dark on that as well).

Well, my head's swelling- but only a tiny bit. After all, Pierced Body Parts is one of the more risque, perhaps even a bit erotic- if not the most erotic- pieces I've had published yet. To be honest, when I look at it, I find it pretty sexy. A kind-of 'reclaiming my balls' kind of story. All without one word of profanity (in other words, you don't have to be 'vulgar' to be erotic, right?)

So yes, it's not too saying too much when I say that yes, this story- Pierced Body Parts- is my sexiest story yet.

See the Water Rise/Ver Las Aguas Subir will be in area bookstores shortly. I hope you enjoy the stories.

(C) 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

The Mitchell Report- The Bombshell MLB Drug Investigation

Roger Clemens- yes, as in the Rocket; Andy Pettitte; and home run leader Barry Bonds among others- both current and former Major League Baseball players- are named in a report by former US Senator George J. Mitchell (D-Maine) as users of performance-enhancing drugs. Also named is the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), as the distributor.

These very findings could shake up Major League Baseball as we know it. More stringent drug testing, and an even shorter rope.

Click on the title for the full 311 page report, courtesy of The Smoking Gun.

(C) 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights reserved.

Omaha Mall Shooting

acnielsen62/YouTube.com/KETV-TV, Omaha, NE

Nine people dead.
A troubled teenager.
Happy Christmas shopping disrupted.

Robert A. Hawkins, 19, of Bellevue, Nebraska, was fired from a McDonald's; went through a romantic break-up; and had troubles in his life.

It would be easy to ask, why? Why did Hawkins take his frustrations out on people- eight of them dead, several others injured- before taking his own life?

What more could have been done to help this young man? Apparently, everyone who tried to help him did all they could, but was this too little too late?

It's easy to point blame and fingers, but instead of playing the blame game, I think it's time to look to solutions. Answers. Sure, I'm not advocating putting metal detectors into malls, and having armed guards posted at the door- hell, there may have been armed guards there and still, eight people lost their lives- but something has to be done to make sure a tragedy such as the one at Westwood Mall doesn't happen again. If it means metal detectors and armed guards, so be it. If it means 100 police officers...who knows?

Right now, there are no easy answers.
Just pain.
And questions.

May the nine dead- including the shooter, Robert Hawkins- rest in peace. Sure, it's easy for many to condemn the shooter. But, if in death he finds his peace, then may he rest in peace.

For continuing coverage of this tragedy, click on the title, where you'll be connected to KETV-TV, the Hearst-Argyle owned ABC affiliate in Omaha.
(C) 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.