Extra!

Extra! is a regular feature of this blog featuring letters and other communications to the editorial page editor that, for one reason or another, aren't likely to appear on the editorial page. No warrant is made as to the veracity or lack thereof of any item appearing in Extra!

The Thanksgiving buzz killers get an early start this year. Wonder how many of us are confused about the fact that we love us some turkey, yo?

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and many Americans are already feeling more frazzled than festive. Much of this holiday stress comes from trying to create the perfect meal. As a dietitian, I want to point out that what you put on the menu actually influences your mood and could help relieve tension.
Leaving turkey and other meats off the table could help you and your guests improve your moods, according to a new study. Researchers at Arizona State University found that when omnivores cut meat and eggs out of their diets, they experience less tension and less confusion. Participants in a control group that continued eating meat and a group that ate fish showed no significant changes in mood.
Meatless holiday meals of lentils, winter squash, and perhaps a soy- or wheat-based "turkey" just might help prevent the next family feud. They can also help the whole family stay trim and reduce their risk of heart disease and cancer. For delicious vegan recipes that can be enjoyed year-round, go to CancerProject.org/Thanksgiving.

Not at all surprisingly, the weekend's Georgia-Auburn football game got some attention from early-week writers, including a couple of budding rap stars, writing before it was clear that UGA's Bacarri Rambo appeared to be OK after sustaining a concussion late in Saturday's gridiron tilt:

After UGA safety Bacarri Rambo was left motionless on the field following a game changing defensive play to prevent an Auburn touchdown and potential overtime, we created this rap to show our beloved Rambo our many thanks and appretiation.
(P.S.-you gotta put it to a beat)

Get well Bacarri!

There was also this explanation of the whole Auburn mascot, battle cry, whatever, thing:

Because the Auburn Georgia Game is the South's oldest rivalry, you would think after all these years the Banner Herald would have learned. Auburn is NOT the War Eagles (as Richard Hamm reports). It is very simple - Auburn's mascot: Tigers; Auburn's battlecry: War Eagle! With as much hype as this game brings to UGA and the City of Athens, one would think the local paper would get it right!

Finally, on the political front, a frequent correspondent passed this, apparently a posting from a blogger linking to a cartoon on Al Gore's Current TV:

Here are some more derogatory sexual innuendo used against republicans.
You can add these to your "teabagger" list.
If you need an explanation of what these words mean, let me know.

Days after announcing another huge layoff, Al Gore's Current TV referred to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a "Gun-Ho" and a "TWILF."
These disgraceful, sexually-charged epithets were part of an attack on prominent conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, and came in the form of a cartoon ironically titled "The Stupid Virus". (EDITOR'S NOTE: In case I've screwed up the link, I'm sure you can find it by Googling "The Stupid Virus").
When a lab-monkey declares that President Obama wasn't born in America, he becomes Patient Zero for a new brand of fear-based news virus - Fearus Ignoramus. We watch as the virus goes ear-borne, spreading from Rush Limbaugh to CNN to the mainstream-media to the general public. America devolves into panic, convinced its President is an illegal alien anti-Christ.
In the end, this was just a lot of conservative bashing in very bad taste, especially the shot of Palin's Twitter page and her astonishingly offensive screen name "Gun-Ho."

EDITOR'S OTHER NOTE: I didn't watch "The Stupid Virus" all the way through, because, well, it's just, er, stupid. It's entirely posisble that there is some content not suitable for impressionable minds in the cartoon, so all you kids be careful when mom or dad walks by the computer. JUST KIDDING, PARENTS: Kids, please don't watch it. At all. Ever.

The 'truth' about Glenn Richardson

Well, that didn't take long.

Late Friday afternoon,Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson announced he'd tried to take his own life. Weekend news reports would indicate he had, in fact, been taken to a hospital, but neither police officials nor Richardson's spokesperson would provide additional details.

Monday, an anonymous posting under the online version of the Banner-Herald's editorial praising Richardson for talking frankly about his depression in connection with his announcement of the suicide attempt, provided a link to the following Web site:
http://www.glennrichardsonsuicide.com/

Reprinted here is the response I posted under the link, responding to "gavalues" link to the Web site.

The whole story? Really?

Against my better judgment, I'm going to leave your link here, for the value it has as a lesson in the difference between responsible journalism and seedy trading in rumor and innuendo.

First of all, let's consider the fact that none of the folks telling "the whole story" are proud enough of supposedly one-upping the mainstream media to sign their names to that accomplishment.

Second, let's take a close look at some of the language on the site. It's replete with phrases like "was believed to be near death," "not confiremd at this time," "is also believed to be mired in serious financial troubles," "is believed to have lost almost everything," "has long been rumored to have used drugs," "Capitol staffers have suspected that Richardson was under the influence of mind-altering drugs," "reports that Richardson has threatened to kill people ... have not been confirmed." Those are some solid facts, there, buddy.

Now, let's take a quick look at the content of the site reported as "fact:"
"Some staffers have resigned rather than be subjected to Richardson's unpredictable fits of petulant rage and anger."
Really? What staffers?

"Westside Bank has basically gone bust in the economic downturn ..." For those of us unschooled in the language of high finance, where's the explanation of what, specifically, gone bust, means? Where's the information on what Richardson's stake in the bank might have been?

"Richardson and his cronies in state government and the Paulding County Sheriff's Office are now trying to suppress the release of public information about the suicide attempt ..." How so? Anyone with even a nodding acquaintance with the state's open records laws knows that a local government has three business days to either produce records requested under the law, or to say why such records won't be released. How many business days have passed since anyone became aware of the speaker's suicide attempt? As of this morning, about one day. Now, if officials don't release the records by midweek, or say why they're not compelled to release them, that's when you have a story.

Look, gavalues, there's no love lost between me and the speaker. He's called me on at least one occasion I can recall about something I've written about him, a sampling of which can be found here:
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/102107/opinion_20071021051.shtml.

But the difference between me and the folks behind that tabloid ad hoc Web site is that they don't care whether their "reporting" is based on fact or not.

You can believe that the folks at that Web site are going to find the "real truth" about Richardson if you like, but my money is on the folks who actually do the research, check the documents and make the phone calls before putting their fingers to the keyboard.

And, oh yeah ... I have a lot more respect for folks who sign their real names -- even on newspaper online comment forums, than for folks who hide behind the cloak of anonymity.

Welcome to the NFL, gavalues.

Odyssey Newsmagazine winners
The staff of Odyssey Newsmagazine, the award-winning student publication at Clarke Central High School, continues its proud tradition. The publication's adviser, David Ragsdale, sent out the following e-mail Monday afternoon, regarding the publication's honors in the latest National Scholastic Press Association contest:

Eva Crowe received a 2nd place in the Story of the Year Contest for Diversity. Jessie Frary received an Honorable Mention in the News category and Emily Silva received an Honorable Mention in the Editorial Cartoon competition. The Odyssey was in the running for an NSPA Pacemaker, but this was not our year. It was our first time as a nominee, so we’re very honored to have been considered. Congrats to all involved in the production of the magazine!