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A couple of recent articles that are worth checking out:

— The New York Times did a neat piece on the Texas twang. It’s from a linguistic perspective, and the mutations and evolution of language always have fascinated me.

— Sadly, the only thing left of Calvin and Hobbes these days is those stupid stickers of Calvin pissing on a Ford/Chevy/Dodge decal. In Tennessee, we also see the occasional Calvin on his knees praying in front of a cross sticker. Cleveland Scene went out in search of Calvin creator Bill Watterson. It’s a good read, though Watterson’s J.D. Salinger act seems to be holding steady. Who knows. Maybe Berkeley Breathed’s re-emergence with Opus will draw Watterson out. We can only hope …

— I recently converted to Mac (actually, I guess I’m a born again Mac user), and I’ve been playing with their iTunes program and store. I stumbled across a new CD by Rory Gallagher, one of my favorite blues guitarists. Rory died a few years back after his second liver transplant, but his brother has released Wheels within Wheels, a collection of Gallagher’s acoustic pieces. I downloaded it and love it. Great stuff, including work with some fascinating collaborators, including Bela Fleck.

I found myself at the Knoxville airport this morning at 5:30, waiting for a 6 o’clock flight to wonderful, frosty Cincinnati. Two funny scenes that made it a little less painful …

1. While waiting in line to pay for my News Sentinel, a clearly flummoxed man, wife and infant were in front of me trying to pay for an assortment of goods they were purchasing. Based on their accent, I’m guessing they were from the West Indies. The guy was having a real tough time figuring out U.S. coins and how much he needed to give the clerk to complete the transaction. Finally, he held out a handful of coins: “Take what you want,” he said with a chagrined smile.

I started laughing and told him: “That’s generally the way it works anyway.”

I’ve tried to conduct similar transactions in foreign currencies, and it’s always trying. I could feel his pain.

2. After buying my paper, I found this nugget buried back in the local section. It generally annoys me when something bad happens and people say “That’s what god wanted.” But I’d like to think that in the case of this particular Klansman, it is what god wanted …

Man accidentally shot during KKK ceremony

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – A gunshot fired in the air during a Ku Klux Klan initiation ceremony wounded a participant when the bullet came down and struck him in the head, authorities said.

Jeffery S. Murr, 24, of Erwin, was in critical condition Monday in intensive care at Johnson City Medical Center, hospital officials said.

Gregory Allen Freeman, 45, of Elizabethton, was charged with aggravated assault and felony reckless endangerment in the Saturday night incident, Washington County Sheriff Fred Phillips said.

The ceremony occurred about 8 p.m. near Limestone. A 26-year-old Elizabethon man was blindfolded, taken to a wooded area and shot with paintball guns as Freeman fired a 9mm handgun in the air.

A bullet struck Murr on the top of the head and exited at the bottom of his skull, Chief Deputy Patrick Littleton said.

Just a heads-up: We’re going to hold our annual tree decorating party on Saturday, Dec. 13. I’m hoping to get the invite together this weekend. If you’re out of town and plan to attend, let us know so we can start planning. Click here to see last year’s invite. There are links to other invites, going back to 1996, in the left nav on the main page of Opposable-Thumbs.com.