When you can take the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to leave.

I was sad to hear of the passing of actor David Carradine. I've always been a fan of his work especially his B films such as "Death Race 2000."

Of course he was best known as the character Kwai Chang Caine in the "Kung Fu" television series. That series utilized one of the simplest and best formulas of American storytelling - the peace-loving loaner who is bullied to the point of fighting back.

Television often reflects society. "Kung Fu" tapped into America's self image of the sleeping giant dragged against it's will into WW 2. It's the "Once that fight was started we were damned well going to finish it" view most Americans had of how the war transpired.

What I think is ironic is that there's a good portion of Americans who if they watched "Kung Fu" now would identify more with the ignorant bullies that plague Caine rather than the reluctant pacificist hero of the show.

In honor of Carradine here are a few quotes from that great series I'm shamelessly lifting from IMDB...

Young Caine: You cannot see.
Master Po: You think I cannot see?
Young Caine: Of all things, to live in darkness must be worst.
Master Po: Fear is the only darkness.

Master Po: What do you hear?
Caine: I hear the grasshopper.

Caine: I seek not to know the answers, but to understand the questions.

Master Khan: Avoid, rather than check. Check, rather than hurt. Hurt, rather than maim. Maim, rather than kill. For all life is precious, nor can any be replaced.

Caine: Is it good to seek the past, Master Po? Does it not rob the present?
Master Po: If a man dwells on the past, then he robs the present. But if a man ignores the past, he may rob the future. The seeds of our destiny are nurtured by the roots of our past.

Master Kahn: In striving for an ideal, we do not seek rewards. Yet trust does sometimes bring with it a great reward, even greater than good.
Young Caine: What is greater than good?"
Master Kahn: Love.

Master Po: I have three treasures which I hold and keep. The first is mercy, for from mercy comes courage. The second is frugality, from which comes generosity to others. The third is humility, for from it comes leadership.
Young Caine: Strange treasures. How shall I hold them and keep them? Memory
Master Po: No, Grasshopper, not in memory, but in your deeds.

Caine: If you plant rice, rice will grow. If you plant fear, fear will grow.

RIP David.

Frankenstein! Frankenstein the legend, Frankenstein the indestructible! Sole survivor of the titanic pile-up of '95.

I almost joined Chuck Heston today.

I'm still trying to get my head around what happened, or what almost happened. The whole thing left me pretty shaken up. It's one of those things that if you change a slight thing and Mrs. Wormer is a widow and my kids don't have a dad.

It was a car accident, of course. A stupid, insane car accident. I had run to the store to get the fam a special treat of donuts for Sunday morning and was first in line to turn left onto the highway by the store that leads back to my house (this took place less than a mile from my house.)

As the turn signal went green I began to pull onto the highway and caught something coming fast from the left out my peripheral vision and slammed on the brakes. The other car (a very nice 08) ran a red light that had been red for a couple of minutes going at at least 55 mph. She tore off the bumper and the two front wheel wells of my car.

As I approached her to make sure everything was okay she wouldn't get out of her car and acknowledge me or the accident, but she seemed to be physically fine. The cops, paramedics and ambulance arrived almost immediately and the woman apparently tried to slit her own wrist with a knife because they quickly piled her onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. They then pulled out a huge clear bag of what looked to be prescription drugs from her car.

The officer had to give me her information but said I should probably wait a while to call her because she has "other issues" that are going to need to be dealt with.

What I've been trying to put out of my mind all day is that - if I'd been a half-second faster off that light this lady would've t-boned me on the driver's side of my car at highway speed. Odds are it would've taken the jaws of life to get what would've been left of me out of my car. If there was anything left to get out.

This isn't lost on Mrs. Wormer or the kids who seem a little bit more upset than myself and they weren't even with me. I'm getting a lot of hugs today.

A half-second. Jesus.

Women are still worth 10 points more than men in all age brackets, but teenagers now rack up 40 points and toddlers under 12 now rate a big 70 points!

I consulted the Death Race Judges about the recent series of movie stars such as Keanu Reeves and Lindsay Lohan running over paparazzi and they confirmed my suspicions- points are scored for hitting and killing members of society that are actually valuable. Paparazzi are actually negative points.