The Day the Internet Slowed Down

Since about 6:00 pm Eastern on Thursday, June 25, we’ve been inundated on all sides with the news of Michael Jackson’s cardiac arrest and death.

During the non-stop reporting on Fox News, I heard Shepard Smith say something about the Internet slowing down because of the number of blog posts, tweets, and hits on sites like www.google.com and www.tmz.com.

Now, I like the Shep a lot. But I almost couldn’t believe it until I read this article on cnet news <click here to read>.  Lo and behold, Smith wasn’t blowing smoke.

Keynote Systems, a company that tracks site performance, is reporting that a review of the more than 30 online news services the firm covers, shows that availability on average fell from 100 percent to 86 percent. The average time it took to access the home pages of top media sites jumped from 4.2 seconds to 8.9 seconds.

The ABC News website fell to 11% availability for a couple hours; CBS News and the LA Times sites experienced similar drop-offs.  Some users complained that Google’s news service was inaccessible between 2:40 and 3:15 pm Pacific.

Sanford Admits Affair – Part 2

I don’t agree with the complete analysis of John Dickerson’s article over at Slate <http://www.slate.com/id/2221255> but his first sentence is both moving and thought-provoking:

Mark Sanford is no longer missing, but he’s obviously lost.

Whether or not this scandal forces him to resign as governor or limits his potential on the national level, one thing is sure: state Democrats and even those in his own party who oppose him won’t make it easy for Sanford to repent and restore.

But here’s the rub. Watch Republicans blame the intrusive media and call for forgiveness and privacy while the Democrats work to exploit the situation to remove Sanford from the political realm.

No, here’s the rub. Wasn’t the situation reversed when President Clinton made “Lewinski” a household word?  The difference, of course, was Clinton’s denial of any wrongdoing.

I don’t know if Clinton ever survived his affair; in the minds of some, certainly, he never will.  And I don’t know if Sanford will either; I hope he can.  The good news is that forgiveness is available. But actions still have consequences – sometimes long-lasting ones.

Dickerson’s final paragraph captures the pathos and sincerity of Sanford’s press conference confession:

What Mark Sanford seemed to be trying to say is that he screwed up, in the biggest possible way, because he lost his bearings. He lost his self-control. He was indulgent. He forgot that there were other humans in the world.

At the same time, it subtly levels an indictment against those self-indulgent and often hypocritical who enjoy and seek to benefit from such scandals.

Yet in the constant flow of abuse, joke-making, and grand conclusions about his failings, it seemed everyone having a good time pointing at his self-indulgence was also engaging in a form of it.

For whatever else the governor may lose, I hope he finds forgiveness, restoration and peace within his family, and a continued place of honorable public service.

Sanford Admits Affair

Sad news about Governor Sanford <http://ping.fm/wTBGy>.

After going AWOL for seven days, Gov. Mark Sanford admitted Wednesday that he'd secretly flown to Argentina to visit a woman with whom he'd been having an affair.

To make matters worse, this disappearance occurred over Fathers Day weekend.  Prayers for his wife and sons.

Live or Write?

At those really busy times, I’ve always thought, “I can either live my life or write about it; but there’s not enough time to do both.”

In spite of that dichotomy, I’ve determined to update more often.  We’ll see if that actually works…

Sky Fort

Mom and Dad were here last week. The man project du jour was the building of the Sky Fort.  It took most of Friday, Saturday, and Monday…but it was worth it.  We had a blast. Thanks, Dad!

Sky Fort

Family Christmas Pictures

Christmas 2008

What Does the Gospel Mean?