TONEY ATKINS: SOME OF WHO I AM

YOUR HOST AND EDITOR: Everyone else seemed to have a web site or blog, so I decided several years ago, why not me, too? As per my usual semi-psychotic self, I went crazy and started several sites, along with some blogs. It's like having my own newspapers or magazines. On this particular site, I share my interests, ideas, personal opinions and favorite links to news of importance and interest, along with my original writings. Some of the latter have been published solely by me and some have appeared in newspapers, including the Daytona Times in Daytona Beach, FL, and the Florida Courier, a newspaper based in Tampa. Your contributions and comments to and about this site are welcome in the guestbook at www.toneyatkins.com/   or at toneyatkins@toneyatkins.com)  . -- Toney Atkins   TONEY ATKINS:TRIVIAL STUFF   ---FAVORITE ENTERTAINERS: Too many to mention, but I remain a big fan of the late Elvis Presley, who came on the scene and impacted rock 'n roll and my love for music during my teen years. In 1972, Elvis staged one of the most dynamic and entertaining concerts in Macon, GA, that I have ever seen (and as a former entertainment writer and editor, I've seen many good entertainers). To coin an overused adjective, even without flashy lighting and special effects, he was "awesome," as those young and old who were present in the packed auditorium would testify. ---FAVORITE PASTIMES: Writing; karaoke; trying to keep up with the insane political goings-on in the U.S; watching many movies I missed when I was working as a newspaper writer/editor and part-time as a DJ-karaoke host at the same time from the early 1990s until a couple of years before retirement. ---FAVORITE TV SHOWS: "Sons of Anarchy" (FX); "Eureka" (Sci-Fi Channel); "Lost" (from start to finish on ABC);  reruns of most of the "Law and Order" and "CSI" franchises on numerous cable channels; "American Horror Story" (FX); "House" reruns on various channels; "Frasier" and "Cheers" reruns on Hallmark Channel; "The Walking Dead" (AMC); "Hell on Wheels" (AMC); and primetime news analysis shows on MSNBC. --MY RECOMMENDED "MUST-SEE" DOCUMENTARIES: Ken Burns' "The War" miniseries, PBS, DVD; "102 Minutes That Changed America" (9/11 revisited, History Channel, also on DVD); "WWII in HD" (documentary miniseries, History Channel, DVD; "The Perilous Fight: America's World War II in Color" (PBS documentary miniseries); "The Lost JFK Tapes: The Assassination" (National Geographic TV); "Woodstock Now and Then" (History Channel documentary) -- GUILTY PEASURES: Listening and dancing (usually by myself) to disco music, mentally reliving some good times in the '70s and early '80s; watching "Desperate Housewives" on TV. ---FAVORITE MOVIES AND TV MINI-SERIES (most on DVD or often on cable TV): "Avatar"; "It's a Wonderful Life"; "Forrest Gump"; "What's Up, Doc?"; "Hair"; "Independence Day"; "Star Wars"; "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"; "The Green Lantern"; "The Help"; Ken Burns' "The War" (excellent PBS documentary series about World War II, with archival footage and interviews with veterans; also available on DVD); "Band of Brothers" (HBO miniseries, reruns on the Spike channel, also on DVD); "Airplane!", "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," "As Good As It Gets," "Hairspray" (the John Travolta version); "Into The West" (TNT original series); "Mamma Mia"; "Happy Feet"; "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Crash" (2005, Academy Award best picture); "All the President's Men"; "Good Night, and Good Luck," "United 93," "The Polar Express," "11:14"; "Joshua"; "Armageddon"; and the 1976 chiller, the original "Carrie." ---FAVORITE SONGS (AMONG MANY): "I Will Survive" and "I Am What I Am," both by Gloria Gaynor; "Live Like You Were Dying," by Tim McGraw; "Angels Among Us" by Alabama; "You Raise Me Up" (artist unknown); "We Are Family" (Sister Sledge); "How Can I Kiss the Lips at Night (That Chew My Ass Out All Day Long) (artist unknown); "Where Am I Gonna Live (When I Get Home)" and "I'm So Miserable Without You, It's Almost Like You're Here" (Billy Ray Cyrus); "If My Nose Was Running Money (I'd Blow It All on You)" (unknown artist); "Down To Love Town," by the Originals; "Right Back To Where We Started From" (Maxine Nightingale); "Rumors" (Timex Social Club); ALSO: "Chasing Cars," "I Can Only Imagine," "I Want to Know What Love Is," "Shake Your Groove Thing" (Peaches and Herb). ---FAVORITE BOOKS: The New Testament of the Holy Bible; fiction by John Saul, Dean Koonz, early Stephen King, and, of course, my own upcoming eventual contribution to the world of literature.  ---FAVORITE SPORTS TEAMS: Atlanta Braves, the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs (my alma mater, where I achieved a B.S.degree in junior high education), Gordon Lee High School Trojans in Chickamauga, GA.  ---FAVORITE FOODS: Everything at Golden Corral's buffet (especially the one in Fort Oglethorpe, GA); Thickburgers and chili dogs at Hardees in Rossville, GA; burgers at Steak 'n Shake in Fort Oglethorpe; subs at the Subway north of Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Battlefield in Ft. Oglethorpe. --- FAVORITE SCREEN BEAUTIES: Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Helen Hunt, Holly Hunt, Queen Latifah ---FAVORITE MUSIC GENRES: Dance music from the 1940s to the present; Carolina Shag, aka East Coast beach music; country; Southern gospel; classic rock; pop and rhythm and blues from the '50s, '60s and '70s (some songs of which fit into the beach music-"Shag" category).  --- POLITICS: A good dose of liberalism mixed in with some conservatism. I'm VERY Independent where politics is concerned. More attention needs to be paid to the woes of working people (stop sending jobs overseas); Social Security for retirees and the elderly; better health care for all; continuation and improvement of Medicare and Medicade. I dislike flip-floppers and politicians who claim that they are going to change things but don't tell us exactly how they're going to do it. I'm for transparency in government and don't like to be shocked by unexpected laws and regulations that are not discussed with the public until after a bill is passed.  --- RELIGION: Non-denominational churches that preach the love of God and not politics and war. I believe God is inside all of us, not "out there" somewhere, and that His spirit flows throughout the universe He created. We just have to seek that spiritual part of us instead of relegating it to the dark reaches of our brain. Every person has the ability to tune in to the Spirit through prayer and meditation, and a belief -- in Jesus as the Son of God, for example -- can work to enrich our lives and the lives of those with whom we come into contact. Ignoring the spirit within us can bring nothing short of darkness and anti-human deeds. Love can bring miracles. Christianity is New Testament, not the Old. My favorite church is Oakwood Baptist Church in Chickamauga, GA, whose programs include helping the needy, especially in crisis situations.   SOME HOBBIES: My love for reading and writing led me into a career in journalism. My love for singing and music led me into a separate volunteer career as a karaoke singer and show host-DJ. My experience as an editor and reporter gave me an ultimate incentive to create web sites to share my ideas, along with links to favorite interests and information that I believe to be worth the attention of many. After learning that I have glaucoma and will likely be blind within a few years, I'm slowly working toward completion of a book, and I enjoy catching up on all the movies I missed during my multiple careers, I'm making extensive use of a DVD player and films that stream on the Internet. Before suffering a back injury and a slowly deteriorating condition that followed, I loved soccer, tennis, bowling and dancing. MOST ADMIRED PEOPLE:  Members of the U.S. armed forces who served in Iraq, those who are still fighting in Afghanistan and those who are stationed around the world. ALSO: I admire and respect honest journalists (especially TV news anchors, reporters, commentators, and newspaper and magazine writers who emphasize facts and speak their minds).  Hats off to the team of reporters and editorial writers with whom I began my newspaper career and worked for 15 years at the News-Journal in Daytona Beach. OTHERS GREATLY ADMIRED: Genuinely good friends (of which I have too few, which is probably my own fault). Definitely admired are true Christians who truly practice what they preach and don't leave their religion at the church doors; and everyone who spreads love and peace instead of discrimination and hate.  MY HEROES: My main heroes are members of all branches of the U.S. military; firefighters; most police officers; and school teachers, of which I was one in the late '60s and early '70s. As far as a single individual is concerned, I got to know and realize the impact of the late Charles W. Cherry Sr., a black civil rights leader in Daytona Beach, FL, who achieved much for many people. He was also the publisher for whom I was privileged to work for nearly 15 years total before my retirement at the Daytona Times, the Daytona Beach minority community's newspaper.