Rube Lomax vs. Steve Corbett

Recently, an anonymous gossip columnist and rube named Lomax calumniated talk-show host Steve Corbett of WILK Newsradio. Rube Lomax's column appeared in Electric City and Diamond City events newspapers, both publications of the Times Shamrock syndicate. Lomax's statements are obviously false and of a malicious nature. Corbett ought to sue Times Shamrock for libel, or otherwise the Times Shamrock corporation will continue its recent trend of yellow journalism.

Here is a portion of the Rube's column:

The local rumor mill is grinding that Scranton carpetbagger and WILK whiner Steve Corbett is trying hard to latch his wannabe star on a nationally syndicated FOX radio show through his worship of all things Sara Palin. Allegedly, he’s working to impress Greta Van Sustern [sic] via her husband John P. Coale, who worked locally on the Hillary Clinton campaign. Corbett became acquainted with Coale through the Rodham brothers (his good buddies and Hillary’s wearisome siblings) which is why he’s now got his sights on a national show, hence his lips on the derriere of all things Palin-related....Perhaps he and Caribou Barbie could team up together. Now that would make for some good talk radio.

To anyone unfamiliar with Steve Corbett this might seem possible. Thus, the column has the potential to destroy Corbett's reputation among many potential listeners of his program. However, the cloumn's statements are absurd to anyone who has listened to Corbett. First, he is quite the liberal and he's very feminist. He supported judicial candidate Tina Gartley partly because he believes women should have more representation in government. But during the election, Corbett also supported Palin/McCain because he saw through the fraudulent Obama.

In fact, not only do disenfranchised Hilary supporters such as Corbett oppose Obama, but many anti-corporatist liberals do too, like the Dennis Kucinich supporter who made the Obama joker picture.

Liberals such as Steve Corbett who oppose Obama are very dangerous for Obamaphiles like Rube Lomax because they hold all the same liberal values but yet see the Obaman Kommissar for the fraud that he is.

However, this Rube apparently wants to cast Steve Corbett as a conservative by associating him with FOX News--an obvious choice. The allegation is obviously fabricated. For one thing, FOX has it's pick of the creme de la creme of pundits, and no offense to Corbett, but he's no John Stossel or Glenn Beck. Futhermore, anyone who listens to Corbett knows that 99% of the time he talks about local NEPA news items--something FOX news could care less about. Why would Corbett discuss mostly local stuff if he wanted to "audition" for a national show?

As per the Times Shamrock Corporation's involvement, Corbett details how its officials treated him like garbage* when he confronted them about the libelous column. But this is not the first case of Times Shamrock affiliates overseeing politically malicious journalism. One of its papers, the Scranton Times, reportedly was VERY biased against conservative Bishop Martino, and one of its reporters, David Singleton, reported an unsubstatiated "threat" against then-candidate Obama at a Sarah Palin rally that nobody else present heard, including me.

As much as Rube Lomax may scowl at Corbett's frustration, his frustration is well-warrented. Corbett wrote the following on his blog:

As soon as I read the story Thursday in this week’s edition of “Diamond City” and “Electric City,” I went to Entercom Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Vice President/General Manager Ryan Flynn and told him the story was not true. I worried that he might think I am trying to cut a deal behind his back and find a way out of my contract and the commitment I have made to my community. I worried that he might think less of me the next time we negotiate my job if a false rumor plants a seed of doubt about my character.
I also worried that advertisers and listeners might not trust me anymore if they thought I was using the area as a stepping stone to another job.

Times-Shamrock vs. Entercom Communcations?
Despite Corbett's appeals to the T-S officials to pull the article, they have obstinantly refused to do so. It begs the question: Does the pro-Obama Times Shamrock ownership have something against Corbett? More specifically, T-S owns radio stations that compete with Entercom. Entercom operates WILK News radio on which Corbett's program airs. Corbett is their competitor...

Strangely enough, Rube Lomax gleefully pointed out on her/his/its Facebook page that Corbett's popularity has fallen since the election. She responed to a Corbet Supporter who asked whether she would appear on Corbett's show:

And boost his sagging ratings? Never. He's only carrying on so I'll talk to him to help pull his ratings out of the toilet...[He is] down from number one last summer to number four.. .behind Jumpin' Jeff, Doc Medek and Frankie Warren.

I believe Rube Lomax actively intends to ruin Corbett's reputation and thereby his listenership while she/he/it cowers behind her pseudonym.

Finally, anyone who listens to Corbett can attest to his honesty. He frequently tells callers not to spread rumors on his show. Many are grateful to Corbett for having publicized Luzerne/Lackawanna County corruption, but there are those who would like it to stay in the dark. There are also those who don't like Corbett from when he was a newspaper reporter. I must admit, of his prior newspaper days, I know little.

Public figures have to deal with lies. If Rush Limbaugh got upset over every lie and misrepresentation of what he said, he'd surely have died of it long ago. Corbett is also used to dealing with calumnies.

However, I like to stand up for people being lied about, and if you do too, boycott Times-Shamrock Communications or write them a letter denoting your displeasure with their yellow journalism.



*see Corbett's blogs:
Thanks for Listening
& Times Shamrock Only Makes it Worse

TL LETTER TO THE EDITOR: River Common project: What Were They Thinking?

by Michelle T. Boice of Harveys Lake

I copied this from Ms. Boice's letter to the editor in the January 29th Times Leader:

Due to years of rampant corruption and gross mismanagement, Luzerne County is nearly a half billion dollars in debt.

The payment on this debt this year alone will cost county taxpayers nearly $25 million. This, folks, is the reason our elected officials ignored our pleas to stop the seriously flawed reassessment and force the company that charged us $9 million to go back to the drawing board and get it right.

Serious cuts need to be made and our elected officials need to become more accountable. They need to do the job they were elected by us to do and pay attention. With that said, I cannot help but wonder what could have been done to save Moon Lake Park had we not spent $30 million to build the River Common, a place where you cannot camp, cannot swim, cannot eat any fish you might catch, etc.

In fact, you cannot spend a few hours there with your family because there are no toilet facilities.

Just over the bridge is beautiful Kirby Park with all the amenities, and then some, that they are attempting to offer at the River Common.

Therefore, I see this $30 million expenditure as our own little “Bridge to Nowhere.” The architects, engineers and out-of-state contractors made money on this concrete, stone and flower project, which might look pretty, but it looked pretty before we spent $30 million. Now the people have been saddled with the annual maintenance fees for the park that will exceed the annual cost of keeping Moon Lake Park open. Yes, a park used more and more by county residents, strapped by an economy that doesn’t allow them the luxury of taking a family vacation to the shore, let alone Disney. No common sense seems to have been applied here.

What were they thinking?

Christian Unity Week Recap

January 18-25, 2010, marked a week of prayer for Christian unity. King's College set off the first week of the spring semester in recognition of Christian unity. For many, the week was a great way to start off the semester.

For the first event of the week, accomplished iconographer Raymond Mastroberte explained what goes into the making of icons. Icons are sacred paintings of Jesus Christ, Mary, the saints and other holy persons and are important in Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic tradition. They are usually painted on wooden slabs and with luminous colors. The images are without shadow in order to portray the fullness of the pictured person's devotion to God. Icons must be painted according to a specific style, and many resemble ancient Byzantine Christian art from over 700 years ago.

Mr. Mastroberte explained how icons convey messages. All serve to convey the pictured person's holiness. Moreover symbols are often used, such as the three stars which often appear on Mary's tunic which symbolize her virginity before, during, and after her Son's life. Mastroberte displayed his favorite icon, a picture of Christ holding up the twin towers which he was inspired to paint right after 9/11. Each icon, he went on to explain, is a translation of a theological concept into color. Finally, Mastroberte discussed relations between Orthodox and Catholics, positing that perhaps each could learn from the other.

Wednesday, the Madrigal Singers of Wyoming Seminary performed at the chapel for evensong--an evening prayer service. They sang Taizé hymns with resolute candor. Said King's sophomore Matthew Hacker: "It was a great opportunity in the first week to build our spiritual awareness and strength for the rest of this semester." He continued that it was a beautiful event to experience God's love, and he lamented that more King's students couldn't make it.

Later that night, a Taizé prayer service was held on the 12th floor of Holy Cross Hall. Calming, repetitive music made for a reflective atmosphere. The music was followed by a scripture reading and a period of silence. King's junior Ben Foreman reports: "the Taizé prayer provided a great opportunity to take a break from all the work and activities associated with being back at school, and to just sit, relax, and reflect." He added that "the music and meditative atmosphere were great for prayer. Spending some time with God is always needed."

Taizé, many believe, embodies the spirit of ecumenism. Taizé prayers come from the Taizé ecumenical monastery located in France. Since 1949, Protestants, Catholics, and other Christians have belonged to the community at Taizé. Taizé services are ostensibly tailored so that all Christians are able to participate. The Madrigal singers sang Taizé hymns at the Evensong event, which was attended by Catholics and Protestants.

Thursday, several students and faculty members met for a luncheon in the Walsh room on the third floor of the Student Center. In attendance were chaplains from various Christian denominations, including King's own Fr. Aguilar. Sitting round the long table that was enshrouded by a crisp white table cloth, the chaplains fielded questions and conversed with students. The group discussed topics such as lax church attendance among some youth, the growth of Christianity in other parts of the world, individual choice regarding Christian faith, the church and the modern world, and even the abomination of desolation.

One train of thought that was consistent throughout the conversation was the comparison of church as the body of Christ vs. the church as an institution. One chaplain pointed out that many people today are not looking for highly institutionalized bodies of faith but rather for Christian communities that participate in outreaches to those in need. From the conversation, one garnered that ecumenism is a grassroots movement, usually occurring when people from different Christian backgrounds band together to worship God, to give aid to the poor, etc. In such situations, Christians must look for what brings them together, what makes them fellow travelers in Christendom. Christian unity, therefore, is achieved more in action than in doctrine. However, Christian institutions like churches still have their place. As one of the diners said, churches are composed of individual followers of Christ and should not be thought of as organismic things separate from the faithful. Regarding how Christian institutions differ, another diner lauded the richness of the various Christian traditions. Other table guests noted that mutual respect between different churches is characteristic of ecumenical gatherings.

Velveteen

Thursday night, students gathered in the candlelit Moreau Auditorium to witness an impassioned performance by a local Christian band called Velveteen. This was perhaps the best attended event of the week. Afterward, students participated in an open mic session which included a guitar duet, a poetry recital, and a country song. Most unique about the night was that students and band members alike spoke freely about God in a social setting. Furthermore, the setting was casual and intimate. The coffee house is a nice low-key alternative to a bar or a night club. More events such as this should be encouraged where students can live their own culture.

Although some the events this week were less than fully attended, all events gave the students who did attend the chance to join together before God and were therefore well worth the effort.

The David Thomas Fake Fall Controversy

It's 1st & 10 for the Saints at the Vikings' 41 yard line with 11:52 on the clock in overtime. Brees hikes the ball; the Vikings' linemen fly toward him forcing him to back pedal. At the last second Brees heaves the ball up in the air. Viking's linebacker Ben Leber is running with Saints tight end David Thomas. Thomas falls down and the pass sails 10 yards ahead of Thomas and Leber. A ref flings a devastating yellow flag up the air. Announcer Troy Aikman wonders why the pass wasn't ruled an uncatchable ball. The replay shows that Leber never really touched David Thomas; and it even reveals that Thomas appears to have faked falling over so he could get a penalty. Nevertheless, the refs spot the ball at the Vikings' 29 yard line. Brees completes a questionable 1st down pass to receiver Robert Meachum; Saints kicker Hartley kicks the game-winner.

But what about the fake pass interference penalty on Leber that advanced the ball for the Aints?

It's true that the Vikings did much to squander their many opportunities with fumbles, interceptions, penalties, etc. The 12 men in the huddle penalty when the Vikings were in field goal range should have been avoided. Brett's last interception was a killer; making him look just as he did in the championship game vs. the Giants 2 years ago. But nevertheless, the Vikings fan leaves the game with a sense of emptiness after the fake penalty on Leber.

It's no secret that New Orleans' line got away with a lot of holding; particularly Right Tackle John Stinchcomb. Much of the holding happened split seconds before Brees threw the ball, and thus went unpenalized.

Also, I don't doubt that New Orleans got away with more cheap stuff than did Minnesota. However, I didn't see the alleged questionable roughing the passer penalty on the Saints lineman who hit Favre,* but, the Saints' Bobby McCray should have been penalized for a low blow on Favre in the third quarter but was not. Granted, it's questionable as to whether the hit on Favre was as game-changing as Thomas's fake, but the hit did somewhat limit Favre's running ability for the rest of the game.

I also did not see Sidney Rice's alleged offensive pass interference due to our crummy local station's power outage. But it's no secret that the Aints DBs held and pushed while feigning armbars on Vikings' receivers.

The Thomas penalty really bugs me. It'd be different if the Aints had won fair and square, but they obviously haven't. They deserve to have 2nd & 10 at their own 41, not an NFC championship.

Addendum: For some consolation, Thomas could be nominated for an Emmy (for acting).

For the Vikings/Brett Favre fan, it was a prolific season; with an unhappy ending: one that leaves me in denial after seeing the Vikings come so close.

Oh well, life goes on. It's just a game.


*Our crummy FOX 56 station went out during the game.

PS I admit that the Saints' O-line played better than the Vikings'.

Vikings to Play Cowboys in Divisional Round

The Vikings were undoubtedly pleased after the Cowboys beat the Eagles in week 17 thereby securing for them a first round bye. Now the Cowboys are set to take on the Vikings.

The Cowboys, now, are red-hot. They've got a dynamic running game (like Carolina), good pass-catching tight ends (like GB), and fast receivers (like Chi): all of which have given the Vikings problems recently.

Before the Vikings thrashed the Giants in week 17, the Vikes appeared to be in a slump. However, they have had time to rest Antoine Winfield and Pat Williams: two of their best defenders. Plus, they will play at home, where they are undefeated this season. The Vikings are a team that needs to get into a rhythm in order to perform best. They should have no trouble doing that in their home stadium, where they will have the crowd behind them.

In order to build up momentum the Vikings must:

1) Make Tony Romo wet the bed.
2) Not let Miles Austin or Kevin Ogletree get off the line easily.
3) Protect Brett.
4) Block for Adrian.
5) Prevent Jason Witten from getting 1000 yards receiving.

It would also help if the Vikings could get ahead early so they can influence the Cowboys to put eight men in the box.

The Vikings should match up well against the Cowboys' screen game and their running game. Regardless, it ought to be a close one.

Hollywood Hater Reviews Sherlock Holmes

Writer Lionel Wigram meant for the Sherlock Holmes movie to deviate from Doyle's writings, and it does; but this is not why I disdain the film. I disdain it because it is a typical acerebral, modern Hollywood superhero movie.

Elementary Plot, My dear Watson
Lionel Wigram is a comic book writer whose script is based on his comic book understanding of Holmes. Wigram says he found an allusion to Holmes's boxing past and an instance of Holmes using a martial art in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories--so Wigram decided to focus virtually his entire script on kung-fu action.

Snatch 2 ?

When every scene is an action scene, there is no noticeable action scene. As I sat in the theater, I grew weary of all the sensationalized Kung-Pow action, the near escapes, and the slow-motion explosions. Maybe all that slow-motion was what made the movie seem so long. Four monotonously long fighting scenes are spliced by tense scenes of conflict--usually involving Holmes arguing with Watson or with some minor character. When he's not arguing he's hurrying off to some place. Of course, as is typical in a Guy Ritchie film, there abound annoying swooshing sounds and disorienting camera work which together are tasked with depicting transitions into flashbacks, dreams, and the like.

In several fight scenes, Holmes does this ridiculous Mortal Combatesque combo-move in which he envisions a list of sequentially-planned jujitsu moves that he will do on his opponent--in slow motion. He then uses his predetermined combo-move to destroy his foe in real-time. For any nerdedly stricken fan of Pokémon, World of Warcraft, Zelda, Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, etc, Wigram's Sherlock Holmes is right up his alley.

Not only is the new Holmes more deadly than Chuck Norris, he's an expert scientist too. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes uses little science beyond simple clue gathering* because science was not as prominent nor as developed in Doyle's day. But Wigram's celluloid Sherlock uses primarily forensic science to solve his crime rather than impressive deductive reasoning. Because there is not much focus on Holmes's thought processes throughout the movie**, the end scene in which all is revealed seems disappointing, leaving the viewer wondering whether "this is it?" It is unrealistic to expect the ending to be as good as Doyle's, but it could still be a little more substantive. Overall, Holmes simply discovers the type of scientific cooking Moriarty uses to fool people.

There might be a cryptic sub-plot concerning science triumphing over religion or superstition in Sherlock Holmes. Professor Moriarty tries to chicane the public into thinking he wields the devil's power.¹ Christian protesters are portrayed briefly as morbid lunkheaded doomsayers. Holmes, of course, uses his scientific knowledge to expose Moriarty's feigned death and bogus resurrection. A Christian could interpret this event in a positive way, as meaning that no man other than Christ can be resurrected. Or, he could simply glean a subconscious doubt for any resurrection in the presence of scientific scrutiny.² Overall however, at least the bad guy is associated with the devil.

Finally, Sherlock Holmes resembles a James Bond film because Sherlock's nemesis puts him in many an "easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death." There is even a doomsday device that Holmes and his cohorts must stop. Where would a modern Hollywood movie be without such unique treasures?

Characters
Wigram wanted to emphasize the quirky dysfunctional side of Holmes, but he did so to the extreme--in comic book caricature fashion. Holmes spends days in a dark room designing more contraptions than would Dexter in his la-boratory. In this way, Sherlock Holmes is almost interchangeable with Downey Jr.'s Iron Man character. Holmes is definitely an ubermensch--or super-duper character we're all supposed to be imbued with, and Sherlock Holmes is a character-driven film.³ Nonetheless Downey plays the quirky role well.⁴

The quality of ubermenschia is not only confined to Holmes: Watson, played by Jude Law, is also a ninja expert, supposedly justified as such by Wigram because Doyle once mentions his military past. Much has been said about Jude Law's and Downey Jr's "chemistry," but unless we're talking in terms of tag-team fighting tactics, the two really didn't have a whole lot of time together on set for any grown-up interaction--which wasn't really their fault.

Rachel McAdams plays a Holmes' villainess love interest, a character entirely Wigram's. Doyle's Holmes was unconcerned with women, having lost his true love early in life to an illness. Perhaps Wigram felt he could better the movie by giving a lady a prominent role. Perhaps he added the McAdams's character as an Insignificat.⁵ The female character, also an ubermensch, is nearly as smart as Holmes, and beats up a man 3 times her size. I suppose McAdams plays the role well, but, on a lesser note, she should go back to her natural blonde hair color.

Scenery and Music
In keeping with its comic book motif, the film paints a slightly grotesque and grim picture of Victorian London. The dark streets are laden with mud, the skies always cloudy, and the street characters exotically hideous. Notwithstanding this, the costumes are accurate, as are the carriages, rooms, and buildings. Insofar as Sherlock Holmes orthodoxy is concerned, Holmes wears not his typical hat, but a cowboyish hat with dark spectacles. Downey Jr. doesn't have the Rathbonesque aquiline nose either. Throughout the film a Halloween-like ragtime piano arrangement plays. There is also a banjo piece in the movie which isn't too bad.

Discredits
Everything is just a bit overdone in this film, besides dialogue and plot which are barely done. The apocalyptic setting, ostentatious special effects, and ubermensch characters make Sherlock Holmes reek of idolatry. But hey, at least it won't leave you Avatarred and Feathered.

Notes
*I'm wrong about this since Doyle's Holmes was actually an expert chemist and did use a lot of forensic science. In my opinion, however, the movie focuses too much on the "Dexter's Lab" portrayal of Holmes.

**For a better explanation of this see this, see this Buzzine article.

¹ However, Moriarty does seem to commence over a genuine satanic ritual in the beginning of the film.

² Jewish producer Joel Silver probably would have no problem with debunking any resurrection. Nor would director Guy Ritchie who married Madonna who is perhaps the most notorious committer of sacrilege in human history.

³The Ancient Greeks believed stories should be foremostly plot-driven, as do I. Thanks to Ted Baehr and Tom Snyder for putting this insight in their Avatar article so I could copy it.

⁴Robert Downey Jr. is in good standing with the Nothington Post, not only because he's a decent actor but because he defended Mel Gibson during Mel's anti-semitic tirade crisis. Mel is esteemed here because he dared stand up to the atheistic Hollywood cabal by making a movie, not just about an Old Testament Bible story, but about Our Lord's passion.

⁵The Insignificat is an offertory casting to Feminism by placing a woman in an awkward role previously not designated for a female. The lady character usually does manly things like beat up monsters, etc. It is common in Hollywood films today.

Peg Luksik Releases Informational Video on Healthcare

Pennsylvania senatorial candidate Peg Luksik has done something few politicians do--educate the public.