Trouble in River City

Harold Hill (who is really “Greg”) is a con-artist who goes into River City, Iowa after hearing on a train about how Iowans are a tough sell. The salesmen on the train, not realizing Hill is on board, talk about how salemen going into towns where Hill has already been get tarred and feathered. They decide he'd never make it in Iowa. When the train stops, a young salesman says “I might just have to try Iowa.” One salesman says he doesn't recall the other man's name. “I don't believe I dropped it,” replies the young man, who flashes his suitcase that says “Prof. Harold Hill” as he dashes out of the train.

Once in town, “Prof.” Hill, as he likes to be known, convinces the towns people they need a boys band to eliminate the corrupting influence of a pool table that has just been added to the town (“You've got trouble, trouble right here in River City. That's starts with a 'T' and that rhymes with 'P' and that stands for 'Pool'”). He convinces most everyone other than town librarian Marian, who researches Hill's claim of coming out of the Gary, Indiana Conservatory class of “Ought Five.” In the mean time the Mayor (who owns the billiard and pub) orders the Board of Education to get Harold to reveal his credentials, but he is able to escape when he introduces the previously feuding board to the pleasure of singing in a barbershop quartet. From then on, he can slip way by just singing the first few words of a song, because the board gets wrapped up in the enjoyment of singing.

While his desperate plea for Marian's attention goes without any response in the rousing song “Marian the Librarian” (which I quoted the other day), Marian, who worries about becoming an “old maid” but is too picky to have anything to do with the men in River City, starts to fall in love with Harold. This seems to come about when she sees how Harold's efforts have turned her little brother, who has barely talked for years, into a happy singer.

Harold starts to have second thoughts after he discovers that his cunning tricks didn't get by Marian, who researched Gary, Indiana and found out it wasn't built until “Ought Six.” Harold and Marion, while apart for the moment, sing “76 Trombones” and “Goodnight My Someone” respectively, and then trade songs half way through. Harold is in love, but is fighting that with the realization he needs to jump on the 9:10 train and get out of town before getting caught.

While Harold plans to leave as soon as he collects all of his money, a fellow salesman, who has been trying to track him down since the train ride at the beginning of the play, throws a ratchet into the plans when he tells the town that Harold is a fraud. Marian finds Harold and warns him, but Harold realizes he can't bear leave. “For the first time in my life, I got my foot caught in the door,” Harold tells Marian. While the town prepares to attack Harold, Marian speaks up and notes all the joy the dancing and music Harold has encouraged brought to town, even if his main claim (to be a great conductor capable of starting a boys' band) is a lie. When the mayor asks anyone who agrees with Marian to step forward, people start stepping forward, including the mayor's wife (he tells her to go back, but after hesitating, she refuses). Someone does ask “where is the band” and on cue the children march out ready to play. While Harold realizes that it's hopeless to get them to play (since his “Think” system of thinking about the music to play is a fraud), Marian encourages him to lead the band and almost magically, they play. Harold is vindicated as he leads the band through the tune of “76 Trombones.”

I Guess It is Clear

I could have said as much without taking the survey, but what can I say?

How can you!? You don't know what you're missing!
You don't like rock… gasp I don't know
you… Get away from me you scary person!

What genre of rock are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanks go to Kevin.

Cedar.ServerForest.com Status

Since I know a number of ServerForest users are aware of (and I suspect read — and some I know read for that matter) this blog, I thought I'd post this status update here:

At 10:00 this morning CDT [GMT-600], Slashdot.org began linking to two articles on the Open for Business web site. This has caused temporary connectivity problems for HTTP connections that may impact your ability to view all sites on Cedar. The server has remained online the entire time and the problems appear to be clearing up as of 12:30 CDT.

Any further updates will go in the comments.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow... You're Only a Day Away

Well, I didn't see Annie like Pressed did, but as you know I did see the Music Man. Unfortunately, my comments on it and John Kerry's acceptance speech (which I did watch tonight) will have to wait until tomorrow.

Between Kerry and the hubbub with my latest piece on Open for Business, I got — ahem — kerried away tonight and didn't get to blogging until just now. Sorry.

Why GNOME's Got it Right

Ed wrote earlier this week about a project known as GoneME that seems to be quite upset with GNOME's moves to create the simplest user interface possible for GNU/Linux and other UNIX-like systems. While I commented a bit in his blog entry on the matter, I decided it was high time for me to exposit on the issue (I had been planning to for some time now). Thus, I have posted an article entitled Why GNOME's Got it Right on OfB. Take a look and give your two cents here.

76 Trombones

The Music Man was stunning. The performance really could not have been better. While I am familar with the play's music, this was my first time seeing the actual play. I'd say it was one of the best I've seen, if not the best. The talented actors and actresses at the Muny truly did justice to it.

I'll write more about it tomorrow, but I had to say at least that much. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for my comments on Kerry's speech as well — since I was at the Muny, I had to record the fourth and final night of the DNC and I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I will tomorrow, however…

Going to the Muny...

I'm going to the Muny tomorrow night to see “The Music Man.” I'm a bit worried… I hear it might rain, and I sort of wonder if Christopher and Pressed's dismal record concerning the Muny might end up rubbing off on me. Scary. Very very scary.

Christopher, you're not going to be there, right?

Observations on DNC Night Two

Senate hopeful Obamba definitely stole the night. Bar none, hands down. He probably stole the whole two nights, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one people are talking about after the convention is over. This guy was a politician's politician and gave a very good speech on his upbringing and unifying the nation. He only sent a few barbs toward the Bush administration, which was an added plus.

Mark my words: this guy will be running for the president in a few years.

Earlier in the night Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont gave a decent speech that began after the longest applause thus far during the convention. He lamented that he had hoped to receive such a reception, but had hoped it would be on Thursday rather than Tuesday. He didn't say a whole lot new or different from his stump speeches, but this time it was (obviously) for Kerry rather than against him. Given his clear popularity with the audience and medical credentials, I betcha he has the title Secretary of Health and Human Services coming his way if Sen. Kerry beats President Bush on November 2.

Ron Reagan did a speech arguing for Embryonic Stem Cell Research, arguing that it doesn't involve fetuses (give the man a prize, that must be why they call it embryonic). He then proceeded to explain that the embryos weren't human because they didn't have fingers and toes and so on as if that was a clear fact. Anyone who didn't agree with that, he essentially stated, “has a political axe to grind.”

Reagan then used an ends-justifies-the-means argument referring to the situation of a girl who does have fingers and toes and a brain. He argued that this wasn't a political speech he was going to give, but urged people to “vote for stem cell research on November 2.” Reagan, despite mounting evidence against it, argued that embryonic stem cell research would provide replacement parts on demand for people as though this was a known and confirmed fact.

Drudge reports than Michael Reagan has again denounced this stand and says his sibling is being used by the Democrats. The senior Reagan son in June pointed out the fact that reports citing that the Reagan family supports stem cell research sadly excluded himself and his father.

QOTW #10: Traveling

What's the farthest west you've been (relative to where you are from) and when did you go there? North? South? East?

West: That would be the State of Washington (farthest point: the Pacific Ocean and the Olympic National Forest). I went there once in 1997.
North: That would be Minneapolis, Minnesota, also in 1997.
South: Eureka Springs, Arkansas, some time in the early 1990's (can't recall when for sure). I've been down that way a few times since.
East: Shelbyville, Indiana, in the mid-80's. I've been that far numerous times since then.

I was suppose to make it to Florida, Puerto Rico and and several Caribbean islands in 2001, but family medical complications prevented me from making it to that trip. I'm aiming to go to Canada some day soon.

How about you? Post your answers below or post a link in the comments to the answers on your blog.

Democratic National Convention

I've been watching most of it since 7:00 on C-SPAN. Nothing terribly remarkable thus far. Al Gore had a few humorous barbs aimed at Bush that were pretty good, I'll admit. “You win some, you lose some. And then there is that third type,” Gore remarked.

That was the only thing that's really stuck out so far, I think. Not surprisingly, all of the speakers have attacked Bush a lot. Sen. Clinton is coming up right now.