Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2009, No.19 - Marlon & Bruning Deliver!

Beta Pi:


CAN "BETA PI BLOG" COMPETE WITH THE SATISFACTION YOU GET FROM TWITTER?:


Absolutely . . . . NOT! Beta Pi Blog exists for one reason: to bring ATO, Beta Pi Chapter Brothers together in the blog-o-sphere. The "blog" is non-political. It is easy-reading and user-friendly - it includes pictures, links, Archives of previous issues, and other time-wasters. To get there, go to web address: http://beta-pi-blog.blogspot.com/ .

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NEW FEATURE ANNOUNCED: Every now and then, a news story comes along that grabs me - as being perfect for "opinion" comment a la Tick-a-lor. Thus is born a new feature:

"TICK-A-LOR COMMENTARY"




"SORORITY LEADER ALLEGEDLY SPENT $900,000 ON SELF-TRIBUTE"

Tick-a-lor Commentary. Here is an excerpt from the AOL News story:
　
"CHICAGO (July 29). Members of the country's oldest black sorority are suing to remove their president, alleging that she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of the group's money on herself - some of it to pay for a wax statue in her own likeness.

In the suit filed in Washington, D.C., the Alpha Kappa Alpha members also alleged that international President Barbara McKinzie bought designer clothing, jewelry and lingerie with the sorority credit card. She then redeemed points the purchases earned on the card to buy a big-screen television and gym equipment, the lawsuit said."

Yeah!

Ok . . . the wax statue. Perhaps as a child, this lady was taken to Madame Touseau’s Wax Museum and frightened half to death.



What types of characters do you find in a Wax Museum?




President Barack Obama, President Abraham Lincoln, Gen. Robert E. Lee, Elvis, The Beatles, Martin Luther King, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Tiny Tim, great characters from literature like Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and great Circus characters like Bozo the Clown,

Serpent-Boy and The Bearded Lady.


But a Sorority President - or a portly Sorority President? Please.

There are lots of ways that business and civic leaders can get recognition (just ask Ollie Grace ograce@graceny.com ).

But to spend thousands on a wax statue of herself? Can you say "way-way-way-out-of-control?"

The Sorority Credit Card. Apparently, Barbara’s wish for the "good life" didn’t end which such royal trappings as a wax statute. She was a "shop-a-holic" who engaged in binge spending - such things as designer clothing, jewelry and lingerie using the sorority credit card - then redeemed points to buy a big-screen television and gym equipment.

Now the gym equipment - that's what she needed.

Was it Yogi Bera who said "It ain’t over ‘til the Fat Lady sings?"


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MARLON AND BRUNING DELIVER:

That All-Time-Great Brother, Mark "Marlon" McGann markmcgann@prodigy.net , sent me an e-mail today - and was it ever

loaded with goodies!


". . . had a delightful lunch with Becky rmanyak@yahoo.com and she brought a photo album which I borrowed for just this purpose. I borrowed a page from your book, so to speak, and ginned up a little story to go with it. I have more pictures and thoughts about a second installment if you're interested.



THE BRUNING SUPREMACY (Plot Summary)

By Marlon McGann


In the first book, The Bruning Identity, Becky Bruning suffered amnesia. Over the course of the book she regained her memory with the help of an accomplished physician, Dr. Michael Manyak, and later found that she was previously an operative of the T.I.C.’s in an elite project in Nashville, Tennessee code named College.


After a tragic relationship involving a T.I.C. she joined the RN’s in a blind attempt to avenge the needless embarrassment of countless coeds at the hands of T.I.C.’s.




Following withdrawal from Nashville she joined Project Graduation 75, where she was used as bait by the infamous Tennessee assassin, Karen "The Jackal" Degerberg. Bruning took credit for various ‘‘kills’’ in Nashville acting as a rival to The Jackal, in order to draw her out of hiding and into the hands of the T.I.C.’s. In a climactic scene at the end of the book, The Jackal escaped and Bruning was almost killed as she was believed to be a traitor by her uniformed cohorts.

At the beginning of The Bruning Supremacy, Bruning has recovered from most mental and all physical injuries and is applying her nursing studies and residing happily with her family in Maryland under her new name, Becky Bruning Manyak.

The reader is then privy to a secretive conversation between high ranking U.S. Officials in which they discuss the fragile situation in China. A rogue high ranking Chinese Official who is one of the most well-liked, respected men in China is planning a hostile takeover that will send all of Asia into a giant civil war disrupting world order . . ."

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Intriguing.

NOW FOR THE PHOTOS (which are some of most spectacular

pics ever added to The Annals.


A big thanks to Mark and Becky for sharing these - you’re the best:



　
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LIKE MUSIC? Check out my music blog "Delta-Jam Records" at web address: http://www.myspace.com/deltajamrecords . Love-Man, you said you want your own "web site" - MySpace is where it happens. It is very user-friendly, and it's free.



TIME FOR YOU TO "COMMENT": You may read "Comments" posted to this page by Blog Editor and other Brothers, below. Check out these random "Comments" by clicking the "button" - as Buck likes to call it, is at the bottom of the "page." The button is very small - small red letters "Comments" - just below "VTL, . ." Having a techno-mini-meltdown? Call me and I’ll walk you through it - 615-512-1448. Too lazy? Send me an e-mail and I’ll post your comment. I end up posting most of them anyway.

BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of July 30, 2009, the Blog roster stands at 97 Beta Pi brothers, 89 Tick-a-lo men online who have e-mail addresses, and 8 ATO Girlfriends-o-Yore. If you have an e-mail address on a Brother, or sister - fork it over!


VTL,


Larry Simons
Beta Pi, 72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2009, No.18 - Ship of Fools Salutes Chancellor Heard, R.I.P.

Beta Pi:

CAN "BETA PI BLOG" COMPETE WITH THE SATISFACTION YOU GET FROM TWITTER?: Absolutely . . . . NOT! Beta Pi Blog exists for one reason: to bring ATO, Beta Pi Chapter Brothers together in the blog-o-sphere. The "blog" is non-political. It is easy-reading and user-friendly - it includes pictures, links, Archives of previous issues, and other time-wasters. To get there, go to web address: http://beta-pi-blog.blogspot.com/ .


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R.I.P. CHANCELLOR HEARD: As you may have heard, very sad news. Chancellor Alexander Heard died a few days ago here in Nashville. Vinny Starr starr2456@comcast.net sent me the obituary:


"NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Alexander Heard, a former Vanderbilt University chancellor who helped defend students’ decisions to invite campus speakers such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael, died Friday. He was 92. He died at home after a long illness, the university said. Heard was head of the private university in Nashville through the 1960s and ‘70s, and helped guide it through turbulent political conflicts that also struck other schools. In his decision to help students who organized speakers like King and Carmichael, a supporter of black power, Heard defended the school's mission to expose them to differing ideas. Heard also served as an education adviser in three presidential administrations under Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon."


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I remember being a Freshman in 1971, being herded onto buses with other Freshmen, and taken to Chancellor Heard’s residence for a Freshman Party. It was surreal meeting him. He had a kindness and dignity about him that made Vanderbilt great. Here are some things I wish to thank Chancellor Heard for:

Thank you, Chancellor Heard for everything you did to make my education excellent.

Thank you, Chancellor Heard for presiding over a time when Vanderbilt campus was green and beautiful and aesthetically pleasing - it had wide open courtyards and fields between the stately buildings, where we could walk and run and play frisbee between classes. (Now, the Build-a-holics and Develop-a-holics in the Administration have filled up every single square inch of ground with concrete and buildings. It is a crime.)

Thank you, Chancellor Heard for presiding over a time when the Greek System was valued as an important social structure in the University. Now, and during the past several years, Greeks are not valued, and "Greek" is considered politically incorrect. Vanderbilt is quietly trying to retake property on Fraternity Row, by convincing some fraternities that when their Lease expires (even though there’s a renewal option), they should move into "meeting rooms" with other "social groups" in a university building (I know, I was on the Alumni Board when ATO was confronted by University Officials in this way).

Thank you, Chancellor Heard for presiding over a time when college kids were allowed to have fun at parties. Now, its as if the Nazi Party is camped out in front of Fraternity Parties, which require a "permit" and people must "sign-in" and "sign-out." Thank you Chancellor Heard for preventing these Anti-fraternity Nazi’s during your tenure.

Thank you, Chancellor Heard for presiding over a time when it was "OK" to have a "Mini-Woodstock" on our campus - The Grateful Dead were allowed to play at Vanderbilt! The Police were on the periphery, but let everyone alone. It was, and still remains the best Rock Concert I ever attended.

Thank you Chancellor Heard for allowing co-ed dorms. Thank you for turning a blind eye to Dean K.C. Potter’s many nights at Rotier’s. And thank you for the dignified manner in which you led our Alma Mater. Rest in Peace and God Bless you.


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During our years at Vanderbilt, Buck Biller fbiller1@msn.com and I spent many hours plotting and scheming ways to achieve Glory (in the mind of 20-year-olds).

To that end, as Freshmen, we broke into Kirkland Hall together (true story). We planned and starred in "The Drink-Off" contest (binge-drinking at its worst - this was stupid, we could have died).


And, when those two endeavors didn’t yield any glory - we dreamed up "The Fight" (our own version of beer-boxing).

So you see that my fascination with and love for "Contests" is like an old flame.

In that spirit, and in honor of the Class of 1974, and because I was not an eye-witness to the famed "Human Flame" Exhibition put on by Matt Hart matthewjhart@yahoo.com - and I’m hoping there is an eye-witness out there who is willing to pen that Tale - I have conceived of a new contest, to be known as . . . .

the 5-M Contest:

THE "MY MOST MEMORABLE MATT-HART MOMENT" CONTEST:

The Contest Rules.

1. This is an Essay Contest. Your Essay must be 100 words or less and contain no gross profanity. (profanity "lite" words such as "damn" and "shit" and "ralph" are allowed).

2. Your Essay must recall some "moment" - whether "spectacular" or not - and include some "quote" as spoken by Matt Hart, involving ATO’s, which is worthy of The Annals. It does not matter if the tale has been told before, or posted as a comment elsewhere on the Blog.

3. Your Essay may NOT be about that moment which all of us remember all-too-well, the moment in which the essence of Tick-a-lor was invented - when Matt told and reenacted the "Tale of the Tick-a-lor Man" - who said "Tick-a-lors, extenders and artificial harries." That would be too easy. Write about something better.

4. Send your entry to the Blog, by e-mail at lasimons4law@aol.com . All entries will be "posted" in the "Comments" section of this Issue. Contest will be concluded in about one or two weeks.

5. Since no one else has shown interest in Judging, once again the Contest Judges will be The Three Stooges, who will convene by telephone, reach consensus, and declare a winner.

6. Prizes.

First Prize - a free beer with Matt Hart at either:

Rotier’s, or

Kinnard’s (If Kinnard’s is closed, meet at Rotier’s); or

The Black Poodle in Printer’s Alley (If Black Poodle’s is closed, meet at Rotier’s).

Second Prize: a set of steak knives.

Third Prize: You’re Fired! (From Glengarry, Glenross)

7. Gentlemen, on your mark, pick up your pens, write!
　
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LIKE MUSIC? Check out my music blog "Delta-Jam Records" at web address: http://www.myspace.com/deltajamrecords .

YOU SHOULD "COMMENT": You may read "Comments" posted to this page by Blog Editor and other Brothers, below. Check out these random "Comments" by clicking the "button" - as Buck likes to call it, is at the bottom of the "page." The button is very small - small red letters "Comments" - just below "VTL, . ." Having a techno-mini-meltdown? Call me and I’ll walk you through it - 615-512-1448. Too lazy? Send me an e-mail and I’ll post your comment. I end up posting most of them anyway.

BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of July 28, 2009, the Blog roster stands at 97 Beta Pi brothers, 89 Tick-a-lo men online who have e-mail addresses, and 8 ATO Girlfriends-o-Yore. If you have an e-mail address on a Brother, or sister - fork it over!

VTL,

Larry Simons
Beta Pi, 72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2009, No.17 - The Big Jackie Show!

Beta Pi:

CAN "BETA PI BLOG" COMPETE WITH THE SATISFACTION YOU GET FROM TWITTER?: Absolutely . . . . NOT! Beta Pi Blog exists for one reason: to bring ATO, Beta Pi Chapter Brothers together in the blog-o-sphere. The "blog" is non-political. It is easy-reading and user-friendly - it includes pictures, links, Archives of previous issues, and other time-wasters. To get there, go to web address: http://beta-pi-blog.blogspot.com/ .


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GROUNDSPEAK UPDATE: As you may know from past issues, my son Andrew is the Bassist in a Jazz-fusion band called Groundspeak. He and I are also partners in the independent record label - Delta-Jam Records - we formed last year to release their debut CD. Well, I am excited about their progress - in addition to getting a great CD Review in the Commercial Appeal, and winning an Award on Beale Street for Most Promising New Memphis Band, they continue to gig in clubs from Memphis to Nashville to Knoxville, they did Fool’s Ball Music Festival in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and in September they are booked for 2 Festivals in Memphis: The Cooper-Young Festival September 19th and The River City Jam Festival September 25th. Festivals are good.



If you like music, check out their MySpace site at: http://www.myspace.com/groundspeak . Let me also invite you to become a "friend" on my MySpace site at: http://www.myspace.com/deltajamrecords .

You’ll see my guitar-buddy Matt Blankenship mattsb@texas.net prominently listed as a friend. It’s fun, it’s my "music blog" - check it out.


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THE BIG JACKIE SHOW:
My closest and best friend, Buck Biller fbiller1@msn.com sent me an e-mail, which I think may be of interest to all. First, let me congratulate Buck on recently getting divorced - yes, under the circumstances, as it were, congratulations are in order. Mr. Buck is once again a free Pilgrim. Here is the e-mail, in question-answer form:

BUCK: "Hey Larry, I just got a super-wild hair.

BOZINO: Well, I’m not surprised - after surviving the divorce from living hell! - that yon wild-hair is sprung.

BUCK: "You are a legal sleuth with cognitive internet search powers like no other.

BOZINO: Flattery will get you everywhere.

BUCK: "I would be absolutely tickled to death to have a beer with my old "town-girl" GF Big Jackie.

BOZINO: Sure it’s not the wild-hair tickling you? BIG JACKIE, my God man - you are one small step away from Green Gritters. You do not know what you ask.

BUCK: "Could you do a little search there in and around Davidson county and see if you can find her? Her name was Jackie (edited) and Jackie (edited). I am not sure which was maiden and which was married.

BOZINO: Buck, for you my dear friend, consider it done.

BUCK: "She was divorced when I hung out with her. No pressure.

BOZINO: What a relief - you a mere College Student dating town-girl-divorcee.
BUCK: "When I have asked Vinnie to do searches he gets kind of weird. Some sort of lawyers code or something.

BOZINO: Whenever Vinnie hears the word "search" - his mind drifts back to Fuad’s Cast Party, when after becoming sloppy drunk, Fuad came dangerously close to performing a strip-cavity -search of Vinnie, but you and I managed to rescue him in the nick of time (true story). So I totally understand Vinnie’s "issues" with "searches."

BUCK: "Let me know what you think. I would just like to see her again after all these years. Buck"

BOZINO: Buck - I commend you for getting back into "the field" of dating, but I question you dating BIG JACKIE. I’ll let you know whether we find her. Meanwhile, I suggest you check out Hay-Harmony . com.
　
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TIME FOR YOU TO "COMMENT": You may read "Comments" posted to this page by Blog Editor and other Brothers, below. Check out these random "Comments" by clicking the "button" - as Buck likes to call it, is at the bottom of the "page." The button is very small - small red letters "Comments" - just below "VTL, . ." Having a techno-mini-meltdown? Call me and I’ll walk you through it - 615-512-1448. Too lazy? Send me an e-mail and I’ll post your comment. I end up posting most of them anyway.

BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of July 15, 2009, the Blog roster stands at 97 Beta Pi brothers, 89 Tick-a-lo men online who have e-mail addresses, and 8 ATO Girlfriends-o-Yore. If you have an e-mail address on a Brother, or sister - fork it over!

VTL,
Larry Simons
Beta Pi, 72