Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
WGA Strike
Tuesday
November 6, 2007
I've written on here about my experiences with migraine headaches and the hellish effects they can have on me. Feedback on this has been interesting, with people from all sorts of associations with me (and a few strangers) writing to share their migraine misadventures with me. Their candor is most appreciated.
And, with that in mind, I've decided to launch a website about migraines. Details on that are coming soon. Too many people are suffering (as I did before I finally found an answer for my particular migraine cause), and hopefully I can help people find where to look to find relief for their situations, or at least point them in the right direction.
I'm not a doctor, but I know that I went through more than a half-dozen physicians before I finally found what my cause was (muscle spasms in my neck.) The frustration of it all was almost as maddening as the pain, going to medical experts who gave me the medical version of "I don't know."
This year's Thanksgiving marks the one-year anniversary of my last migraine, suffered when I was in Nashville and out of Baclofen. I might match the launch of the site with that; we'll see.
Ron Paul received a major boost yesterday with supporters raising a whopping $4.2 million for his campaign -- in one day! While his fundraising will likely never eclipse what Mitt Romney can pull out of his own bank account, it is proof positive of the power of the internet, as well as the determination of people who are tired of seeing their personal liberties taken away more and more by the federal government.
|  | I met Dr. Ron Paul last month during his visit to Nashville.
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I met Dr. Paul in person last month, and I found him to be a charming, if not disarming, person. His message of "Bring The Troops Home" is unique in the Republican party, and particularly among people who are tired of Big Government Left and Big Government Right, he is a refreshing breath of fresh air.
What has been strange to me is the mainstream media's widespread ignoring of Dr. Paul's campaign. Having worked in the TV news business for several years, I know first-hand that there's not any particular agenda being set, despite what some may believe. If the TV media tends to lean liberal, it's because personal stories of tragedy tend to lend themselves better to a 1:30 news piece than explaining how lower taxes and smaller government can help everyone have the opportunity to prosper long-term.
Think about it: you're in a 9:30 a.m. newsroom meeting, and you pitch a story on either:
1. How John Edwards' "free college for everyone" idea would benefit high school seniors (despite the fact that it's not truly free and that it would create yet another level of dependence on the federal government), or
2. How allowing high school seniors to opt out of social security in favor of their own savings plan would reap them much longer long-term benefits.
Which one do you think is getting chosen?
Anyway, regardless of media coverage, Ron Paul is a bona fide legit first-tier candidate, and the next few weeks will be most interesting for his campaign.
The Writers Guild of America strike is impacting late-night television here in the United States, and it could soon spread to primetime fare if a quick settlement isn't reached. Unfortunately, that appears unlikely; the last strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks. 19 years later, things have changed considerably in the world of television, and both reality and game show programs are expected to be pumped out in even greater numbers.
So long as they get this thing settled in time for Lost to run uninterrupted, I'll be happy. But with so much on the line with DVD and online revenue at stake, I'm not holding my breath.
I have to hand it to the Patriots; their win over the Colts in Indianapolis last week was impressive, and they showed that no lead is safe against them. QB Tom Brady looked completely unafraid of the 10 point deficit that the Pats had in the fourth quarter, and understandably so considering the quick-strike nature of New England's offense.
One thing about Tom Brady that amuses me is the way his hair looks during post-game interviews. I know, I know, where does a guy with a shaved head get off making fun of someone else's hair? But the resemblance between Brady's hair and the way Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes looked on school picture day was uncanny to me. Decide for yourself:
I'm not exactly sure why that entertains me, but it does. Though trying to explain it without the photo would work for probably less than 1% of the readership of this site, and thus the comparison above.
It's finally starting to feel like wintertime here in Nashville, with temps expected to dip below 30° F tonight and early tomorrow. That has lead the weather notifier that I have on my computer to go crazy today, with cautions of Frost Warnings and such. For me, it'll be the first time to be around seriously cold weather for a sustained amount of time since early 2001; life in Florida, and even Alabama, spoiled me as far as that goes.
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