Well before Adam West became the mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island, in Family Guy, he had the auspicious (if not dubious) distinction of bringing Batman to the boob tube, and ultimately, the silver screen—following Lewis Wilson’s 1943 film version, that is. More significantly, it was in that 1966 adaptation that West’s Batman introduced to the world perhaps the single most prevalent weapon of defense yet to be paralleled: a can of shark repellent spray. (Too bad Jaws’ Captain Quint didn’t have a canister handy as the ubiquitous Carcaridon Carcarius had him as part of its “noon feeding.”) (more…)

Much of America seems to have caught Olympic fever. Television ratings have been high. An estimated 34.2 million Americans watched the opening ceremonies—the most ever for a non-U.S. Olympics. And the opening wasn’t a one-night anomaly; nightly ratings have been averaging about 31 million viewers. For television these days, that’s fantastic.

In the medal count, an obvious source of national pride, at the time of this writing the United States led in total medals with 46 but China was dominating gold medals with 26. (The U.S. had 14 gold medals.)

The Olympics have had drama with the Michael Phelps medal chase, ageless wonder Dora Torres, and even the unfortunate murder of Todd Bachman, the father-in-law of U.S. men’s volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon.

So why do I consider the 2008 Beijing Olympics a miss? (more…)

Recently a close friend of mine made the statement, “I feel overwhelmed and spiritually unattached.”

I think we can all relate to these words, probably on many levels, when there was some circumstance in life that seemed beyond our ability to handle. Then, all we’re left with is the feeling of a spiritual longing, a desire for a tangible connectedness to God, Buddha, Mohammed, The God and Goddess, guardian angels, Mother Earth, Infinite intelligence, or any name to which we can best relate. (more…)

A bold young fan’s interview with John Lennon in 1969 has been turned into a beautifully animated short called, “I Met the Walrus.” Debates about who the walrus actually was aside, the film was Oscar-nominated and encapsulates a great conversation about peace and nonviolence that’s as relevant today as ever. Go to the official site for more back story.

Coincidentally, on this day (August 12) in 1966, John Lennon apologized for boasting that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ. The London Catholic Herald noted that his statement was “arrogant” but “probably true.”

Recently, Congress approved, with my strong support, bipartisan legislation that will make college more affordable and accessible to our region’s students.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act will reform our higher education system so that it operates in the best interests of students and families. The measure addresses the increasing costs of college tuition and removes obstacles that make it more difficult for qualified students to go to college. (more…)

OK, we’re going to shake things up this week by having the “miss” first. A guy who has really missed the mark and who has become a sad shell of his former self is John McCain. I once had respect for the guy. In past years I had seen him many times on The Daily Show, and he came across as a decent dude. I appreciated his work on campaign finance reform. He seemed to have his own conscience and not be one to simply stick to the party line. And I still felt sorry for the guy for being totally trashed by Bush, Rove, et al back in the 2000 election. And that’s why I’m so surprised that the guy who once seemed like a decent American has turned to the same tactics used on him by Bush Corp. (more…)