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More random thoughts:
Coincidence? The Marshall University womenƵs basketball team qualified for the NCAA tournament this year, the first time it had done so since 1997. In 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp was visible from Earth. Now another comet is visible as Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has arrived in our celestial neighborhood. Comets were once thought to be omens of bad tidings, but in the Marshall womenƵs basketball programƵs case ... well, you be the judge.
A certain large building in downtown Huntington isnƵt 50 years old, and itƵs already on its fifth name. Formerly the Huntington Civic Center, Huntington Civic Arena, Big Sandy Superstore Arena and Mountain Health Arena, now it is the Marshall Health Arena. Its name changes faster than names on Major League Baseball stadiums.
It must be nice to be a college student and spend a lot of money at the beach on spring break. That was something I couldnƵt afford at that age. Or a few years after, either.
IƵve long wondered if newspapers could make money by selling naming rights to their reportersƵ bylines. Think of Fred ƵTaco BellƵ Pace or Destiney ƵDoritosƵ Dingess. It would be a shame, though, if we had a writer whose byline no sponsor wanted to buy. Yes, there are numerous ethical considerations, but I also remember when the front page was off limits to advertisers.
Before you ask, neither I nor this newspaper received any compensation Ƶ financial or otherwise Ƶ for the previous item.
Maybe itƵs just a function of age, but one day last week I realized that most of the people I have ever known are deceased. I wonder at what point in life most people cross that threshold.
For some reason I find the old machine shop on the former ACF property in Huntington to be fascinating, probably because of its stark industrial architecture in a large vacant lot.
West Virginians love their monster stories, but the one connecting the Mothman to the Silver Bridge disaster gets old quick. The bridge collapse was an engineering fault, not the result of a nonexistent creature. Constantly connecting the two does a disservice to the people who died and the people who work to prevent a similar event.
Old guys like me are not the target audience for movie studios. IƵve seldom been in a movie theater since the COVID shutdowns four years ago, and I donƵt miss the experience. I do remember going to a couple of movies to see if they were as bad as I expected, and they were.
A lot of fan films you find online arenƵt that good in terms of production values or acting, but they are made by people who enjoy the franchises. They show more heart than a lot of the major studio releases. If youƵre into Star Trek, I recommend ƵChance Encounter.Ƶ If you prefer Star Wars, check out ƵDays Past.Ƶ There are many others. Some are dramas. Some are satire. But theyƵre made by fans, not studios trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of franchises before they kill them off by disappointing fans one time too many.
Derrick Evans, the Wayne County resident who pleaded guilty to a felony for taking part in the Jan. 6 incident at the Capitol (weƵre not doing a protest vs. riot vs. insurrection debate today) is running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. ItƵs probably a long shot, but letƵs assume he wins. When he reports to the Capitol for his freshman orientation, will he imitate Randy QuaidƵs line from ƵIndependence DayƵ: ƵHello, boys. IƵm baaaaaackƵ?
Jim Ross is development and opinion editor of The Herald-Dispatch. His email address is jross@hdmediallc.com.
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