Johnny Damon is a Yankee. You know, who gives a crap how well he does at the plate (and believe, the Yankee fans do...), King George is copping some wood having pulled him away from the Sawx! OMG, Lucchino and the Red Sox leadership is dropping a load in their pants: Damon, Jeter, Sheff, A Rod, Giambi, Matsui, Posada, Williams (HUH?), Cano. Heck, Thew is nursing a chubby just looking at the bats and runs in that lineup.
However, on to point number 2. It is obvious that the Yankees are allowing Bernie Baseball to close out with some dignity. Personally, the guy is old, can't run, has no gun (then again, Damon's arm isn't THAT much better), can't hit, but the pride and loyalty and performance (who has the most postseason HR's?) he has shown the Yankees over the years has earned him a nice, relaxing, DH filled, farewell tour. Small kudos to King George and Cashman for giving this to him, nice to see that Bernie is rewarded with some good will from the ballclub.
Experience is the ONLY reason I can see the Canadians selecting Todd "blindside you and break your neck beatch" Bertuzzi over Sidney "the next REALLY good one" Crosby. But at least, in their desire to become a mainstream sport, the NHL is becoming much like the NBA and NFL; you can be an asshole and commit a heinous act on the playing field (or even off it, in the case of Mr Lewis) and we'll forgive you and welcome you back. Welcome to the new NHL, where we'll forgive pretty much anything, just like the others...
Is there anyone in the world who thinks Reggie Bush is going to return to college ball?
Jeremy Roenick is still one of my favorite NHL players, but he's starting to become an egotistical, self-centered, mouth. We don't care how well, you've been playing this year, Jeremy, your numbers suck, and points are more important than moral victories when determining the USA hockey squad. Shuddup and play.
Stay tuned for some harsh news and reporting on the supposed 'euthansia attitude' at the Memorial Hospital in New Orleans after Katrina. I'm waiting to hear more, but initially, as I read the story, it seems that hospital workers were discussing who would stay and who would go in terms of evacuation priority, and what would be done with the remaining patients, i.e. put them out of their misery. WOW. I need to read more on this...either it's a very humanitarian decision (they said they focused on the DNR patients), or the most baseless, horrific, and "we're gonna sue you" mistake you'll find this year.
That's it for now...everything else will fall under the old favorites of "stupidass athlete" or "buttplug terrorist" or "Darwin awards candidate".
12.22.2005
12.16.2005
I have to come out as a blogger...
I have to admit, in the past I have found the prospect of "blogging" a vast and empty waste of time. After all, I'm not sure who was the pundit who said "opinions are like assholes...everyone has one and they all stink". Who the hell cares about other peoples' opinions when all they are going to do is rant and rave about variable societal and world injustices, situations, and bullshit.
However, I have come around. Tilam has allowed a ray of light to come into my closet, and now I find blogging amusing and a nice, if only minor, distraction to the long and incessant conference calls that occupy my daily activities. But my philosophy is slightly different than Tilam's; quite frankly, I do not have the time that Tilam apparently takes (who's running the company while you're reading the 'net?!) to read all those blogs. So, in effect, my check list is to check our blog for Tilam's inevitable stupid and contentious comment(s), which provides us with plenty of fodder for our own little PTI discussion and the source of our much amusements, as well as check MSN and CNN as well as the sports pages in SI and ESPN for interesting and worthwhile news and events that will allow me to hop up on that soapbox and begin my diatribe. And frankly, like Tilam, sometimes the facts are not as important as the rant and the point we are trying to get across. And as always, a potshot at Tilam's expense is guaranteed to cheer me up. :)
I wonder if Tilam minds sleeping on the dog's bed while our great dane, Apollo, sleeps on the guest room...
However, I have come around. Tilam has allowed a ray of light to come into my closet, and now I find blogging amusing and a nice, if only minor, distraction to the long and incessant conference calls that occupy my daily activities. But my philosophy is slightly different than Tilam's; quite frankly, I do not have the time that Tilam apparently takes (who's running the company while you're reading the 'net?!) to read all those blogs. So, in effect, my check list is to check our blog for Tilam's inevitable stupid and contentious comment(s), which provides us with plenty of fodder for our own little PTI discussion and the source of our much amusements, as well as check MSN and CNN as well as the sports pages in SI and ESPN for interesting and worthwhile news and events that will allow me to hop up on that soapbox and begin my diatribe. And frankly, like Tilam, sometimes the facts are not as important as the rant and the point we are trying to get across. And as always, a potshot at Tilam's expense is guaranteed to cheer me up. :)
I wonder if Tilam minds sleeping on the dog's bed while our great dane, Apollo, sleeps on the guest room...
12.14.2005
Honey, I Forgot Our Anniversary
Thew and I have been blogging for over a year now. Funny, the anniversary of the start (9/30) and Thew's joining me (11/16) just kind of passed. Where's the cake?
Blogging has been fun and frustrating. I am a voracious reader of blogs despite the relatively short list on the left. My morning starts with a perusal of Instapundit, Power Line, Captain Ed, the Belmont Club, the Corner on NRO, Kaus, Malkin and Real Clear Politics. I make sure to catch Chris Muir first thing. I have also added Dilbert to the list for humor, though I do enjoy Scott Adams' take on things.
I also find myself reading blogs in spurts: Protein Wisdom's Martha Stewart's Diary in jail was one of the funniest things I have read period. LGF, VodkaPundit, Dan Drezner (Go UofC!) and Patterico are a few that I can find myself checking in on a lot depending on the issue.
There are some that have lost me. Andrew Sullivan being the most notable. What happened? Wonkette was funny for a while, but her humor got old.
Some old friends simply faded away... Steven de Beste and Michael King come to mind.
I don't blog as much as I want. The fact is, too many things are higher on the priority list, whether I want them to be or not. And I find that I lose interest in a topic after a bit of a delay. I also find that, for me, the back and forth rants with Thew are the most fun. The large philosophical posts are harder because I take the content seriously. (Who knows, Glenn might show some Insta-interest.) If I botch an NCAA post, I simply do not care.
Next week I will be down in Thewland seeing Thew, Mrs. Thew and the two Thewlets. The last time this happened was last year. Blogging has allowed us to stay in better touch and that ends up being the best reason to continue.
Blogging has been fun and frustrating. I am a voracious reader of blogs despite the relatively short list on the left. My morning starts with a perusal of Instapundit, Power Line, Captain Ed, the Belmont Club, the Corner on NRO, Kaus, Malkin and Real Clear Politics. I make sure to catch Chris Muir first thing. I have also added Dilbert to the list for humor, though I do enjoy Scott Adams' take on things.
I also find myself reading blogs in spurts: Protein Wisdom's Martha Stewart's Diary in jail was one of the funniest things I have read period. LGF, VodkaPundit, Dan Drezner (Go UofC!) and Patterico are a few that I can find myself checking in on a lot depending on the issue.
There are some that have lost me. Andrew Sullivan being the most notable. What happened? Wonkette was funny for a while, but her humor got old.
Some old friends simply faded away... Steven de Beste and Michael King come to mind.
I don't blog as much as I want. The fact is, too many things are higher on the priority list, whether I want them to be or not. And I find that I lose interest in a topic after a bit of a delay. I also find that, for me, the back and forth rants with Thew are the most fun. The large philosophical posts are harder because I take the content seriously. (Who knows, Glenn might show some Insta-interest.) If I botch an NCAA post, I simply do not care.
Next week I will be down in Thewland seeing Thew, Mrs. Thew and the two Thewlets. The last time this happened was last year. Blogging has allowed us to stay in better touch and that ends up being the best reason to continue.
12.13.2005
Well, Look Who's Back
Well, it is good to have Thew back, even if he is all about the shoes.
A couple of points back at you.
World Cup: Using your criteria, it was Italy who got screwed, drawing the #2 (Czechs) and #8 (Americans) in their draw. As a partisan American, it is all about how the world looks to screw us, but it is the Squadra Azzure (#12) who got the short end of the stick.
Tookie: Okay, you got me going. "Murder" just does not quite describe what Tooks did to Albert Owens and to the Yang Family. "Execution" is a better word. But unlike the State of California, Took-meister had no reason. The 26 year old Albert was brought into the back room of the convenience store, made to lie face down and was shot, twice, in the back with a shotgun. According to the coroner, Albert dies instantly, which is better then the Yangs, who were shot first, then robbed. The Yang's son ran in to the office where is parents and sister lay and found the elder Yangs still alive. Mrs. Yang was curled up in a fetal position bleeding and breathing through the shot holes in her chest. Total take: $100. In each instant, the victim was shot at very close range.
And Thew, you are wrong. Tookie NEVER admitted the crimes or repented. He never "realized his mistakes." He claimed his innocence until the end. What he realized is that he could create a freak show by publishing a few books (total sales of such books ~12 copies) and playing the PR game, complete with the obligatory appearance by Jesse Jackson. Unfortunately for Tookie, noone but the moonbats bought his crap.
Stanley Williams is shaking hands with Lucifer right now and thinking, "that's what crimson smells like. Holy Shit that hurts." I am only slightly consoled that maybe he will take Mohammed Atta as one of his bitches.
A couple of points back at you.
World Cup: Using your criteria, it was Italy who got screwed, drawing the #2 (Czechs) and #8 (Americans) in their draw. As a partisan American, it is all about how the world looks to screw us, but it is the Squadra Azzure (#12) who got the short end of the stick.
Tookie: Okay, you got me going. "Murder" just does not quite describe what Tooks did to Albert Owens and to the Yang Family. "Execution" is a better word. But unlike the State of California, Took-meister had no reason. The 26 year old Albert was brought into the back room of the convenience store, made to lie face down and was shot, twice, in the back with a shotgun. According to the coroner, Albert dies instantly, which is better then the Yangs, who were shot first, then robbed. The Yang's son ran in to the office where is parents and sister lay and found the elder Yangs still alive. Mrs. Yang was curled up in a fetal position bleeding and breathing through the shot holes in her chest. Total take: $100. In each instant, the victim was shot at very close range.
And Thew, you are wrong. Tookie NEVER admitted the crimes or repented. He never "realized his mistakes." He claimed his innocence until the end. What he realized is that he could create a freak show by publishing a few books (total sales of such books ~12 copies) and playing the PR game, complete with the obligatory appearance by Jesse Jackson. Unfortunately for Tookie, noone but the moonbats bought his crap.
Stanley Williams is shaking hands with Lucifer right now and thinking, "that's what crimson smells like. Holy Shit that hurts." I am only slightly consoled that maybe he will take Mohammed Atta as one of his bitches.
Back after a short hiatus
It has been a while since I've posted, and that has not been because Tilam, as usual, has inserted his size 6 feet (you know what they say about a man's foot size) into his big mout', but because I've been extremely busy with the holiday season coming up.
Okay, so that aside, here are my current musings and rantings:
Duke is the real deal, I believe that Texas was the over-rated team. How can you NOT somehow handle JJ Reddick?! My gosh, it's not like he sneaks up on you, the guy has been in the papers and on the news for what, this entire decade? Allowing him to drop 41 on your ass was a egregious lack of proper game planning...
Goodbye Ron Artest. Goodriddance Ron Artest. You're a self-centered locker room cancer, Ron Artest.
Who'd have expected the Vikings Defense (yes, the VIKING DEFENSE) to step up and dominate like they have been?! Of course, Brad Johnson is back and putting up points with the offense, so what has changed in Minnesota? Honestly, I have no frikkin clue! ROFL It certainly isn't Mike Tice's coaching skill. But my Vikes are winning and I will not complain - breathe down the necks of da Bears a little more boys! Next week: a tough test with the Steelers.
Where is TO? Throwing a failed birthday bash for himself it seems...
Ugueth Urbina...welcome to prison. Note so self: if you hack at poeple with a machete and try to set them on fire, you will do time...
World Cup...Well, gee, here's a surprise, the US is in the toughest bracket (at least world ranking-wise), with the Czech's and US being the top 2 seeds (#2 and #8) in group E. And, the US has by FAR the toughest 3 opponents (world ranking-wise) than ANYONE else when you look at the other 3 teams in their bracket. Tougher than #9 seed England (total ranking of opponents: 104), #5 seed France (damm the frogs, with 126, by far the easiest), and #6 Spain (106). Boy, for a random draw, it seems again that the US got the big stiff in terms of group members. Host Germany is only seeded #16, which is a surprise. Group C is going to be tough (you can, perhaps, make a case for this one being the toughest bracket, but it DOES contain world #41 Ivory Coast and world #47, Serbia&Montenegro), with the world #'s 3 & 4 (Netherlands and Argentina) but it should be a cake-walk for the Argentines, since every World Cup the Dutch are a high seed and consequently choke the chicken.
So I might have to replace my inherent cynicism of the fabled "do not call list", after Direct TV was slapped with a $5.35 million fine for violating it. WHOA, the FTC showing some teeth. You go get 'em boys!
So Tookie Williams, the famed founder of the Crips was executed today for the murder of 4 poeple in 1979. I realize that he was reformed, and took the time to speak out against gangs and gang violence, but that has to be only the second half of his legacy. He was convicted and sentenced to death row, and paid for his crimes in the manner that our judicial system directed. Nothing like a stint on death row to make a man repent and speak out against his crimes. I prefer to remember Tookie as the man who DID realize his mistakes, and encouraged people to avoid them. However, you did the crime, you must do the punishment. I applaud his message, but like a child, simply saying "I'm sorry and it was wrong" should not preclude you from facing the consequences. I only hope that his message has reached his intended audience loud and clear.
FEMA is a clusterf**k of an organization. That is pretty much all I have to say about that, and really all that needs to be said..
That's pretty much the good rantings that I can do here...
On a holiday note. After a long and arduous process, it seems that Mrs Thew and I will be welcoming an addition to the family sometime mid-2006. Here's to hoping that he or she has all the mother's good looks and none of the father's cantankerous personality.
And a holiday season wish to Tilam and his brood. As one of my best friends in the whole world, for Christmas I wish him all the health, wealth, and happiness that life has to offer - here's to hoping that when we play golf in 2006, he will actually beat me...
Okay, so that aside, here are my current musings and rantings:
Duke is the real deal, I believe that Texas was the over-rated team. How can you NOT somehow handle JJ Reddick?! My gosh, it's not like he sneaks up on you, the guy has been in the papers and on the news for what, this entire decade? Allowing him to drop 41 on your ass was a egregious lack of proper game planning...
Goodbye Ron Artest. Goodriddance Ron Artest. You're a self-centered locker room cancer, Ron Artest.
Who'd have expected the Vikings Defense (yes, the VIKING DEFENSE) to step up and dominate like they have been?! Of course, Brad Johnson is back and putting up points with the offense, so what has changed in Minnesota? Honestly, I have no frikkin clue! ROFL It certainly isn't Mike Tice's coaching skill. But my Vikes are winning and I will not complain - breathe down the necks of da Bears a little more boys! Next week: a tough test with the Steelers.
Where is TO? Throwing a failed birthday bash for himself it seems...
Ugueth Urbina...welcome to prison. Note so self: if you hack at poeple with a machete and try to set them on fire, you will do time...
World Cup...Well, gee, here's a surprise, the US is in the toughest bracket (at least world ranking-wise), with the Czech's and US being the top 2 seeds (#2 and #8) in group E. And, the US has by FAR the toughest 3 opponents (world ranking-wise) than ANYONE else when you look at the other 3 teams in their bracket. Tougher than #9 seed England (total ranking of opponents: 104), #5 seed France (damm the frogs, with 126, by far the easiest), and #6 Spain (106). Boy, for a random draw, it seems again that the US got the big stiff in terms of group members. Host Germany is only seeded #16, which is a surprise. Group C is going to be tough (you can, perhaps, make a case for this one being the toughest bracket, but it DOES contain world #41 Ivory Coast and world #47, Serbia&Montenegro), with the world #'s 3 & 4 (Netherlands and Argentina) but it should be a cake-walk for the Argentines, since every World Cup the Dutch are a high seed and consequently choke the chicken.
So I might have to replace my inherent cynicism of the fabled "do not call list", after Direct TV was slapped with a $5.35 million fine for violating it. WHOA, the FTC showing some teeth. You go get 'em boys!
So Tookie Williams, the famed founder of the Crips was executed today for the murder of 4 poeple in 1979. I realize that he was reformed, and took the time to speak out against gangs and gang violence, but that has to be only the second half of his legacy. He was convicted and sentenced to death row, and paid for his crimes in the manner that our judicial system directed. Nothing like a stint on death row to make a man repent and speak out against his crimes. I prefer to remember Tookie as the man who DID realize his mistakes, and encouraged people to avoid them. However, you did the crime, you must do the punishment. I applaud his message, but like a child, simply saying "I'm sorry and it was wrong" should not preclude you from facing the consequences. I only hope that his message has reached his intended audience loud and clear.
FEMA is a clusterf**k of an organization. That is pretty much all I have to say about that, and really all that needs to be said..
That's pretty much the good rantings that I can do here...
On a holiday note. After a long and arduous process, it seems that Mrs Thew and I will be welcoming an addition to the family sometime mid-2006. Here's to hoping that he or she has all the mother's good looks and none of the father's cantankerous personality.
And a holiday season wish to Tilam and his brood. As one of my best friends in the whole world, for Christmas I wish him all the health, wealth, and happiness that life has to offer - here's to hoping that when we play golf in 2006, he will actually beat me...
12.10.2005
Tastes Like Chicken
Crow that is.
31 points. 41 by Reddick. They looked much better then they had. Texas looked out of sync. But I guess Texas was beat so badly that maybe THEY were the overrated team.
But as they say, it just does not matter until April...
31 points. 41 by Reddick. They looked much better then they had. Texas looked out of sync. But I guess Texas was beat so badly that maybe THEY were the overrated team.
But as they say, it just does not matter until April...
12.06.2005
Another Duke Rant
Does Duke look like they are a #1 team? Of course they do because...well, they are Duke. If they were from the Big Ten or Big East, they certainly would have suffered in the rankings due to their narrow escape against unranked VTech (at home, no less) and their less then impressive performance at the NIT.
Well, they play Texas at Texas in a few days. So, I will either apologize or crow...
UPDATE: Luke Winn at SI also sees some injustice. I do not necessarily believe UConn should be #1, but I do think that the #1 votes are lopsided. At this point, Texas, UConn and Villanova all could claim that they have played well enough for a #1 vote.
Well, they play Texas at Texas in a few days. So, I will either apologize or crow...
UPDATE: Luke Winn at SI also sees some injustice. I do not necessarily believe UConn should be #1, but I do think that the #1 votes are lopsided. At this point, Texas, UConn and Villanova all could claim that they have played well enough for a #1 vote.
12.05.2005
Atom Feed Test
Okay, we pause for a brief test. I am testing the ATOM feed feature of Blogger and a service called Attensa that has a reader for Outlook in Beta.
In 2006, I am committed to take my company deeper into the media/research/education mix, but I am trying to put out a product that is not a hash. It amazes me what an echo chamber the Tech world is and just because something is the "next big thing" does not mean squat when selling a product or service.
My challenge is to find the mechanism to filter RSS or Atom feeds to get specific posts. I don't need "CNN News," I need "Madrid Protocol." That level of specificity.
So this is just a test...
In 2006, I am committed to take my company deeper into the media/research/education mix, but I am trying to put out a product that is not a hash. It amazes me what an echo chamber the Tech world is and just because something is the "next big thing" does not mean squat when selling a product or service.
My challenge is to find the mechanism to filter RSS or Atom feeds to get specific posts. I don't need "CNN News," I need "Madrid Protocol." That level of specificity.
So this is just a test...
11.30.2005
Light Posting Lately
Posting does seem to go in fits and spurts - I don't know how the Big Bloggers do it on a regular basis. The pace of work and the holidays (not to mention the kids) seem to eat up a lot of time.
I have had a hankering to post on something more substantial then the sexapades of the NFL. Over at the Belmont Club, Wretchard's post commenting on Chester's views at the Adventures of Chester got me thinking about globalization, the Internet, higher consciousness and the implications for the future. I will be posting on that shortly.
To add to the perspective, I offer Nonzero by Robert Wright, which has greatly influenced my thinking on human interaction and God's Debris by Scott Adams, which offers an interesting take on human progress.
With that, back to work...
I have had a hankering to post on something more substantial then the sexapades of the NFL. Over at the Belmont Club, Wretchard's post commenting on Chester's views at the Adventures of Chester got me thinking about globalization, the Internet, higher consciousness and the implications for the future. I will be posting on that shortly.
To add to the perspective, I offer Nonzero by Robert Wright, which has greatly influenced my thinking on human interaction and God's Debris by Scott Adams, which offers an interesting take on human progress.
With that, back to work...
11.08.2005
The NFL Can Do No Wrong
Jeez. The NFL seems to get everything right, even scandals.
Last year, we saw the hoodlums of the NBA jump into the stands and start a fight with fans. David Stern tries to implement a dress code and there are shrieks and howls from the "gangsta wannabes" - they have NO interest in cleaning up their act.
This past summer, we were treated to the spectacle of baseball and steroids. Now Ugueth Urbina charged with attempted murder in Venezuela.
The NFL? Sex cruises and lesbian cheerleaders. (Or, if you are typical male sports fan, "blah, blah, blah and LESBIAN CHEERLEADERS!) The lovely Renee and Angela claim it was a case of mistaken identity. (Maybe they thought the bathroom of Banana Joe's was a cruise ship on Lake Minnetonka.) But considering the line that usually forms at the ladies room, I doubt there are not a few witnesses. Police report is here.
Unfortunately, I was not among them...
I hope the intrepid reporters of SI & ESPN stay on top of this story.
UPDATE: Penthouse is making an offer to the girls. (Link requires free registration.)
UPDATE 2: Renee Thomas is denying there was any sexual misconduct. Arghhh! Don't ruin it for the 100 million men who soooo want it to be true.
Last year, we saw the hoodlums of the NBA jump into the stands and start a fight with fans. David Stern tries to implement a dress code and there are shrieks and howls from the "gangsta wannabes" - they have NO interest in cleaning up their act.
This past summer, we were treated to the spectacle of baseball and steroids. Now Ugueth Urbina charged with attempted murder in Venezuela.
The NFL? Sex cruises and lesbian cheerleaders. (Or, if you are typical male sports fan, "blah, blah, blah and LESBIAN CHEERLEADERS!) The lovely Renee and Angela claim it was a case of mistaken identity. (Maybe they thought the bathroom of Banana Joe's was a cruise ship on Lake Minnetonka.) But considering the line that usually forms at the ladies room, I doubt there are not a few witnesses. Police report is here.
Unfortunately, I was not among them...
I hope the intrepid reporters of SI & ESPN stay on top of this story.
UPDATE: Penthouse is making an offer to the girls. (Link requires free registration.)
UPDATE 2: Renee Thomas is denying there was any sexual misconduct. Arghhh! Don't ruin it for the 100 million men who soooo want it to be true.
11.07.2005
Monday Morning Musings...
Hockey is still exciting (attendance is up 4%)...and my Carolina Hurricanes are taking advantage of the new rules. Go Canes! One caveat - attendance is up AT THE VENUES - need to have viewership up ON THE TV! That will ensure hockey's return to prominence.
Who says public inebriation, lewd behavior, beligerence with police, and fighting are the sole calling of professional football players - now we have cheerleaders (and bull dyke lesbians to boot) shouldering the load of stupidity and lecherous public behavior - check this article out.
So TO got into a fistfight (well, a skirmish) with TO. Nice to see that SOMEONE on the playing field has the balls to stand up to TO. Quite frankly, I think that Donovan McNabb NEEDS to stand up and call bullshit on that stupid ass. Forget a "team only" private meeting - since TO is taking it all public, I'm sorry, McNabb needs some sort of public show of strength and leadership. At least in my humble opinion.
It is truly to see that last gasp of Brett Favruh. The team around his isn't very good, he's pressing, and the Pack are looking horrible. The bad part of this is the fact that he'll hang on next to go out on a good note. And maybe duplicate the debacle that is this season. Phooey, a lousy end to a great quarterback.
On the MLB basepaths, here's a tid bit: Kim Ng, a vice president and assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers the past four years, became the first candidate to interview for the team's vacant GM job. Team spokesman Josh Rawitch said Ng was interviewed Saturday. If hired to succeed Paul DePodesta, she would become major league baseball's first female GM. Before joining the Dodgers, the 36-year-old Ng served as vice president and assistant general manager for the New York Yankees from 1998-2001. Trial by fire with the Yanks? Interesting to follow this story; going to be interesting to see how the "boys of the GM club" will accept a female compadre, no matter how qualified she might be.
In NBA news...ah, screw it, who cares? The only vaguely interesting story line is Ron Artest's return. Million dollar game, 5 cent head. Time to see if he's really over the incident in Detroit and has changed, or if he's still the same old thug...
Who says public inebriation, lewd behavior, beligerence with police, and fighting are the sole calling of professional football players - now we have cheerleaders (and bull dyke lesbians to boot) shouldering the load of stupidity and lecherous public behavior - check this article out.
So TO got into a fistfight (well, a skirmish) with TO. Nice to see that SOMEONE on the playing field has the balls to stand up to TO. Quite frankly, I think that Donovan McNabb NEEDS to stand up and call bullshit on that stupid ass. Forget a "team only" private meeting - since TO is taking it all public, I'm sorry, McNabb needs some sort of public show of strength and leadership. At least in my humble opinion.
It is truly to see that last gasp of Brett Favruh. The team around his isn't very good, he's pressing, and the Pack are looking horrible. The bad part of this is the fact that he'll hang on next to go out on a good note. And maybe duplicate the debacle that is this season. Phooey, a lousy end to a great quarterback.
On the MLB basepaths, here's a tid bit: Kim Ng, a vice president and assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers the past four years, became the first candidate to interview for the team's vacant GM job. Team spokesman Josh Rawitch said Ng was interviewed Saturday. If hired to succeed Paul DePodesta, she would become major league baseball's first female GM. Before joining the Dodgers, the 36-year-old Ng served as vice president and assistant general manager for the New York Yankees from 1998-2001. Trial by fire with the Yanks? Interesting to follow this story; going to be interesting to see how the "boys of the GM club" will accept a female compadre, no matter how qualified she might be.
In NBA news...ah, screw it, who cares? The only vaguely interesting story line is Ron Artest's return. Million dollar game, 5 cent head. Time to see if he's really over the incident in Detroit and has changed, or if he's still the same old thug...
11.06.2005
Never thought I'd say this...
God Bless the Philadelphia Eagles...
Are you like me? Are you hoping that they NEVER let TO back in an Eagles' uniform? Are you hoping that maybe he breaks a bone or tears a ligament or injures himself such that he's out for the season? Are you hoping that NO OTHER NFL TEAM picks up his sorry ass? God, what a jerk...
Cancer. That's the only term for a self-centered arrogant asshole like TO. STFU and play. You're a cancer in the locker room, a cancer in the huddle, and regardless of your talent and ability to play, I would NEVER want you on my team. Jaromir Jagr in hockey. Manny Ramirez in baseball. Pretty much 1/2 the league in the NBA. People whose egos run out of check, who consider themselves better than the rest of the players; team killers, coach killers, championship killers...
Makes me happy to just be a regular joe in the world. Well, almost.
Are you like me? Are you hoping that they NEVER let TO back in an Eagles' uniform? Are you hoping that maybe he breaks a bone or tears a ligament or injures himself such that he's out for the season? Are you hoping that NO OTHER NFL TEAM picks up his sorry ass? God, what a jerk...
Cancer. That's the only term for a self-centered arrogant asshole like TO. STFU and play. You're a cancer in the locker room, a cancer in the huddle, and regardless of your talent and ability to play, I would NEVER want you on my team. Jaromir Jagr in hockey. Manny Ramirez in baseball. Pretty much 1/2 the league in the NBA. People whose egos run out of check, who consider themselves better than the rest of the players; team killers, coach killers, championship killers...
Makes me happy to just be a regular joe in the world. Well, almost.
10.26.2005
NHL 2006
Okay, I do have to admit it, I am really liking the "new" hockey. Yes, you heard it right.
The pace is faster, the goonage has decreased and the scoring is up. What is not to like? But make no bones about it, this step is much like the one Cadillac took with its edgy design: the attempt to appeal to a broader or new audience runs the risk of alienating the old. My straw poll suggests that many more people like the new format than not, but none of these folks would be considered "hard core" fans.
So later in winter when I am up and flipping channels and I see Ottawa v. Calgary on ESPN, I'll let you know if I tune in.
The pace is faster, the goonage has decreased and the scoring is up. What is not to like? But make no bones about it, this step is much like the one Cadillac took with its edgy design: the attempt to appeal to a broader or new audience runs the risk of alienating the old. My straw poll suggests that many more people like the new format than not, but none of these folks would be considered "hard core" fans.
So later in winter when I am up and flipping channels and I see Ottawa v. Calgary on ESPN, I'll let you know if I tune in.
10.18.2005
I am sincere...really, I am!
Let's expand upon the discussion of "truth in our daily lives" and "insincerity". Nah, let's not. Tilam has yet again shattered the stereotype and really hit the nail on the head. Despite the beliefs of many of the "beautiful" people, you never really "own" any material things this go 'round. What you DO own is your thoughts and feelings - your integrity, your honestly, your emotions and conduct. If you throw it away how is anyone supposed to rely on you, how is anyone supposed to trust you, how is anyone supposed to believe what you say and do? Too many times it gets thrown away because as a society we have become fairly selfish and self-centered, and we do things which benefit ourselves above all others in all situations, apparently with the feeling of impunity and lack of consideration for the effect on others. Yeah Yeah, there are exceptions, but...
Okay, let's get to the fun stuff:
Sox out via the broom, Yanks out in 4. (NOTE: 4? Thew, in my number system, it goes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5! In our world, 3 + 2 does not equal 4, but 5. Even more sloooooowly....fiiivvve. ) While I think it's good for baseball that Chicago and the Anaheim/California/LA Angels of Anahiem/whateverthefriktheirnameis battled it out, ultimately I find it somewhat unsatisfying that NY and Boston are not slugging it out again. The offseason is going to be VERY interesting - some key players from both teams are free agents (Matsui, Damon, etc), I don't envy Cashman and Epstein.
Hockey is back to a big splash. Arenas are full again, the game is more exciting, more offensively oriented, more high scoring. BUT, the big litmus test will be the ratings on TV. Because ultimately, hockey will NEVER become a draw until you can attract the fans who sit at home watching the tube. That was, is, and will be the challenge for the economic future of hockey.
Now, based on what I believe to be her selfish and self-centered reasons, her lack of loyalty to her professional sport LPGA, and the fact that she's a "phenom" who has won two events (Diddly and Squat - hehe), I root against Michelle Wie. BUT, I have to tell you that it's pathetic when a fan or reporter (in this case) can call tournament officials and get a player DQ'd. This isn't the first time this has happened, several times in the past fans have called in and questioned players on their conduct (Stadler kneeling on that towel, etc). This is bullshit. Do we allow fans with instant replay to call the crew chief of a baseball game and get a call changed? Basketball and Football have challenges and instant reply upon occasion, but fans sticking their noses into a golf tournament, not to mention doing it AFTER THE TOURNAMENT, thus costing the player her livelihood. Fans sticking their noses into ANY sporting event, affecting outcomes and being seen as watchdogs, is just bad precedent...
Yankees got permission to speak with wonder pitching coach, Leo Mazzone - who coulda predicted that?! :)
'Nuff for now...
Okay, let's get to the fun stuff:
Sox out via the broom, Yanks out in 4. (NOTE: 4? Thew, in my number system, it goes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5! In our world, 3 + 2 does not equal 4, but 5. Even more sloooooowly....fiiivvve. ) While I think it's good for baseball that Chicago and the Anaheim/California/LA Angels of Anahiem/whateverthefriktheirnameis battled it out, ultimately I find it somewhat unsatisfying that NY and Boston are not slugging it out again. The offseason is going to be VERY interesting - some key players from both teams are free agents (Matsui, Damon, etc), I don't envy Cashman and Epstein.
Hockey is back to a big splash. Arenas are full again, the game is more exciting, more offensively oriented, more high scoring. BUT, the big litmus test will be the ratings on TV. Because ultimately, hockey will NEVER become a draw until you can attract the fans who sit at home watching the tube. That was, is, and will be the challenge for the economic future of hockey.
Now, based on what I believe to be her selfish and self-centered reasons, her lack of loyalty to her professional sport LPGA, and the fact that she's a "phenom" who has won two events (Diddly and Squat - hehe), I root against Michelle Wie. BUT, I have to tell you that it's pathetic when a fan or reporter (in this case) can call tournament officials and get a player DQ'd. This isn't the first time this has happened, several times in the past fans have called in and questioned players on their conduct (Stadler kneeling on that towel, etc). This is bullshit. Do we allow fans with instant replay to call the crew chief of a baseball game and get a call changed? Basketball and Football have challenges and instant reply upon occasion, but fans sticking their noses into a golf tournament, not to mention doing it AFTER THE TOURNAMENT, thus costing the player her livelihood. Fans sticking their noses into ANY sporting event, affecting outcomes and being seen as watchdogs, is just bad precedent...
Yankees got permission to speak with wonder pitching coach, Leo Mazzone - who coulda predicted that?! :)
'Nuff for now...
10.14.2005
Untruths
Professor David Gelernter has an article in the L.A. Times commenting on insincerity in politics. My two comments are 1) insincerity is too kind a word and 2) it is not limited to politics.
"Insincere" implies a sort of self-awareness that is lacking in the discourse Gelernter mentions as examples. Maybe self-awareness is wrong, but I am insincere when I apologize for something I really did not think was wrong. Lying for the purpose of personal destruction is something quite different.
In my position (I am an executive in a corporation), I am occasionally sued. The first time I read a complaint directed against me, my jaw dropped. The claims made were demonstrable lies. I called my attorney and was politely informed that there was no "perjury" in a complaint and their purpose was to get into court, not win the case. They lie, they get settlement money, end of story.
In one deposition, caught in one of these lies, the plaintiff assured everyone that the statement wasn't a lie, but an "untruth." An untruth, you see, is not a lie. I guess it is a strategy.
Truth is one of the basic fabrics of our civil life, not a weakness. The state of discourse, whether in politics or in life, does seem to have slid into "insincerity." That is unfortunate, as individuals, we have every few things that we can truly call our own, but one of them is our honesty. One should think hard before one throws it away.
"Insincere" implies a sort of self-awareness that is lacking in the discourse Gelernter mentions as examples. Maybe self-awareness is wrong, but I am insincere when I apologize for something I really did not think was wrong. Lying for the purpose of personal destruction is something quite different.
In my position (I am an executive in a corporation), I am occasionally sued. The first time I read a complaint directed against me, my jaw dropped. The claims made were demonstrable lies. I called my attorney and was politely informed that there was no "perjury" in a complaint and their purpose was to get into court, not win the case. They lie, they get settlement money, end of story.
In one deposition, caught in one of these lies, the plaintiff assured everyone that the statement wasn't a lie, but an "untruth." An untruth, you see, is not a lie. I guess it is a strategy.
Truth is one of the basic fabrics of our civil life, not a weakness. The state of discourse, whether in politics or in life, does seem to have slid into "insincerity." That is unfortunate, as individuals, we have every few things that we can truly call our own, but one of them is our honesty. One should think hard before one throws it away.
10.06.2005
Various Items
Around the horn on the goings on in various parts...
Young Athletes
I agree with Thew: what happen for pay for performance? Further, tell me what is appealing about Michele Wie? If you want pretty golfers there is Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis or Anna Rawson. Looking for better golfers there is...nearly everyone else. More power to her for snagging dollars for nothing, but it won't last if she does not win.
Harriet Miers
There is nothing "wrong" with Miers as a Justice. Quite frankly, the idea of an "outsider" (read not a professor or professional judge) on the court is appealing. People who have worked with her are very supportive, the rest of us just don't know...yet. The problem for the President is that conservatives are fed up with his approach to pretty much everything except the GWOT. In particular, the President has allowed Congress to spend like a drunken sailor. What happened to the party of small government? A huge drug entitlement, more bureaucracy, and $250 billion for Katrina (or $400K for every affected family!).
I don't disagree with Miers' profile, but I have no faith in the President's ability to do the right thing for conservative principles. Conservatives talk about Miers being a "stealth nominee," but George Bush is fast becoming (in retrospect) the the "stealth nominee" - talking a good game on the campaign trail, but acting very differently in office.
2008
All of the above bodes badly for a Guiliani or Powell or McCain or other moderate conservative candidate for the GOP in 2008. The Base has been betrayed and they are not likely to forget.
Interestingly, the person most likely to suffer is Jeb. Given the "conservative" track record of 41 & 43, why would the GOP nominate another Bush??
Baseball
I was hoping for a Yankees-Red Sox Championship. Not happening and that is Too Bad. The Sox look just beat up. And the White Sox seem to have awoken from their late year stupor.
As for the Yankees, the pitching continued its late season performance, but A-Rod Sheffield and Matsui really fell apart in the clutch. Ortiz for MVP.
And Giambi is definitely back on the juice.
Unlike last year, I am a St. Louis believer. Now true, it is only San Diego, but Edmonds, Pujols and Sanders are hitting well. With last year under its belt, the Red Birds should show up a different team.
And hats off to the Astros and Braves for what could have been the best playoff game ever.
College Terror
A fizzy soda can in Penn Station is front page news, but a Islamic convert who blew himself up after trying to enter the OU-KState football game last week is buried. Hinrichs tried to buy alot of ammonium nitrate a week earlier and blew himself up with TAPT, the same stuff that the Richard Reid, the Shoe Bomber used. Thankfully, it is highly volatile and he go *poof*.
And it seems Georgia Tech is the latest campus to have a possible terror threat or cell.
Of course, this makes perfect sense. Campuses are hotbeds of far left radicalism that embraces "any means necessary" to make their point. It is also fill with impressionable youth who have little or no understanding of the consequence of their actions. One can't help but imagine Ward Churchill is pleased with these developments (as ;ong as he isn't hurt, that is).
UPDATE (Sort of): UCLA also? Uh-oh. I really believe the next terrorist attack will be a small (15 - 25 dead) attack on a soft target. A college campus makes perfect "sense."
South Asia Earthquake
Obviously, George Bushes fault.
Seriously, it does put Katrina in perspective. While the overall numbers certainly do not matter to those who lost a loved one, the South Asia Earthquake certainly puts the Katrina rants in a different light. 30,000 vs. 3,000. 3 million homeless. These poor ARE really poor. (Not "poor" in the US version, but in the "real world" version. That is, dirt freakin' poor.)
Oh, well. Gotta jet.
Young Athletes
I agree with Thew: what happen for pay for performance? Further, tell me what is appealing about Michele Wie? If you want pretty golfers there is Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis or Anna Rawson. Looking for better golfers there is...nearly everyone else. More power to her for snagging dollars for nothing, but it won't last if she does not win.
Harriet Miers
There is nothing "wrong" with Miers as a Justice. Quite frankly, the idea of an "outsider" (read not a professor or professional judge) on the court is appealing. People who have worked with her are very supportive, the rest of us just don't know...yet. The problem for the President is that conservatives are fed up with his approach to pretty much everything except the GWOT. In particular, the President has allowed Congress to spend like a drunken sailor. What happened to the party of small government? A huge drug entitlement, more bureaucracy, and $250 billion for Katrina (or $400K for every affected family!).
I don't disagree with Miers' profile, but I have no faith in the President's ability to do the right thing for conservative principles. Conservatives talk about Miers being a "stealth nominee," but George Bush is fast becoming (in retrospect) the the "stealth nominee" - talking a good game on the campaign trail, but acting very differently in office.
2008
All of the above bodes badly for a Guiliani or Powell or McCain or other moderate conservative candidate for the GOP in 2008. The Base has been betrayed and they are not likely to forget.
Interestingly, the person most likely to suffer is Jeb. Given the "conservative" track record of 41 & 43, why would the GOP nominate another Bush??
Baseball
I was hoping for a Yankees-Red Sox Championship. Not happening and that is Too Bad. The Sox look just beat up. And the White Sox seem to have awoken from their late year stupor.
As for the Yankees, the pitching continued its late season performance, but A-Rod Sheffield and Matsui really fell apart in the clutch. Ortiz for MVP.
And Giambi is definitely back on the juice.
Unlike last year, I am a St. Louis believer. Now true, it is only San Diego, but Edmonds, Pujols and Sanders are hitting well. With last year under its belt, the Red Birds should show up a different team.
And hats off to the Astros and Braves for what could have been the best playoff game ever.
College Terror
A fizzy soda can in Penn Station is front page news, but a Islamic convert who blew himself up after trying to enter the OU-KState football game last week is buried. Hinrichs tried to buy alot of ammonium nitrate a week earlier and blew himself up with TAPT, the same stuff that the Richard Reid, the Shoe Bomber used. Thankfully, it is highly volatile and he go *poof*.
And it seems Georgia Tech is the latest campus to have a possible terror threat or cell.
Of course, this makes perfect sense. Campuses are hotbeds of far left radicalism that embraces "any means necessary" to make their point. It is also fill with impressionable youth who have little or no understanding of the consequence of their actions. One can't help but imagine Ward Churchill is pleased with these developments (as ;ong as he isn't hurt, that is).
UPDATE (Sort of): UCLA also? Uh-oh. I really believe the next terrorist attack will be a small (15 - 25 dead) attack on a soft target. A college campus makes perfect "sense."
South Asia Earthquake
Obviously, George Bushes fault.
Seriously, it does put Katrina in perspective. While the overall numbers certainly do not matter to those who lost a loved one, the South Asia Earthquake certainly puts the Katrina rants in a different light. 30,000 vs. 3,000. 3 million homeless. These poor ARE really poor. (Not "poor" in the US version, but in the "real world" version. That is, dirt freakin' poor.)
Oh, well. Gotta jet.
10.05.2005
Here's to cute young chick athletes
I discovered something the other day:
If you rearrange the letters in "Anna Kournikova" you get "Michelle Wie". Another cute young athlete who has major hype and who hasn't (and probably won't) win anything...but who needs to win with the kind of endorsement money they get?
If you rearrange the letters in "Anna Kournikova" you get "Michelle Wie". Another cute young athlete who has major hype and who hasn't (and probably won't) win anything...but who needs to win with the kind of endorsement money they get?
9.25.2005
And you laugh that *I* play "fantasy games"?!
Do not question my intentions, you should know better. You assume that *I* would behave in such a manner. I am talking in generalizations here - that society as a whole is becoming self centered and selfish, with little regard for anything and anyone outside their immediate influence.
I don't believe I have it wrong in my post, I think you are blinding yourself to the reality that exists in society today. When the shit hits the fan, we regress to our survival instinct - and the trade off between our own individual freedoms and others'? You seem to state that even given the repeal of our entire set of laws governing life we would still recognize the benefit of working together and society would not collapse, is that true? Dangerous drivers with little regard for things such as "traffic laws". Parents who sit there and let their children run wild, interfering with other people's fun. Babies and cell phones in movies despite repeated requests that we silence them. We fight each other for no reasons. People are shot over parking spaces. We are willing to put up with fatless potato chips even though it might cause abdominal cramping, diarhea, and bloody stools, because we are too lazy to exercise and show some dietary restraint? And you don't think society is degenerating? Dang, I want what you're smoking...the ONLY reason we behave in a lawful way is because we have laws. Take away those laws and we won't "work together", anarchy will take over. As for your assertion that "it is wrong but morally justifiable to commit a crime given an emergency" that's hogwash - what constitutes an emergency? "I'm sorry, but my kid pooped in his pants and I don't have any diapers, this is an EMERGENCY, I need to steal diapers and break the law". Have another beer dude...
Sure, and I cannot dispute, there are many instances of selfless people helping others. I in my heart that I would one of these people. That's the way I was raised. But I am becoming more and more convinced that I (should I say "WE"?) are the exception.
Society is getting better and better? Drugs. Crime. They have been holding steady, that is good. But I'm not talking about murders. I'm talking about people in general - their "I don't give a shit attitude" about anyone else but themselves. Why are we improving as a nation? Well, we are technologically WAY MORE advanced than in 1905...what an assinine assertion! Cars are better, the internet, Satellite TV, we have been to the moon, Voyager past Saturn (incredible pics), the Hubble Telescope, we can fly across the country and connect in less than a few hours, society is improving because we are inventing and discovering and making better things. But attitude wise, we are a bunch of idiots in general (present company excluded!). hehe
I don't believe I have it wrong in my post, I think you are blinding yourself to the reality that exists in society today. When the shit hits the fan, we regress to our survival instinct - and the trade off between our own individual freedoms and others'? You seem to state that even given the repeal of our entire set of laws governing life we would still recognize the benefit of working together and society would not collapse, is that true? Dangerous drivers with little regard for things such as "traffic laws". Parents who sit there and let their children run wild, interfering with other people's fun. Babies and cell phones in movies despite repeated requests that we silence them. We fight each other for no reasons. People are shot over parking spaces. We are willing to put up with fatless potato chips even though it might cause abdominal cramping, diarhea, and bloody stools, because we are too lazy to exercise and show some dietary restraint? And you don't think society is degenerating? Dang, I want what you're smoking...the ONLY reason we behave in a lawful way is because we have laws. Take away those laws and we won't "work together", anarchy will take over. As for your assertion that "it is wrong but morally justifiable to commit a crime given an emergency" that's hogwash - what constitutes an emergency? "I'm sorry, but my kid pooped in his pants and I don't have any diapers, this is an EMERGENCY, I need to steal diapers and break the law". Have another beer dude...
Sure, and I cannot dispute, there are many instances of selfless people helping others. I in my heart that I would one of these people. That's the way I was raised. But I am becoming more and more convinced that I (should I say "WE"?) are the exception.
Society is getting better and better? Drugs. Crime. They have been holding steady, that is good. But I'm not talking about murders. I'm talking about people in general - their "I don't give a shit attitude" about anyone else but themselves. Why are we improving as a nation? Well, we are technologically WAY MORE advanced than in 1905...what an assinine assertion! Cars are better, the internet, Satellite TV, we have been to the moon, Voyager past Saturn (incredible pics), the Hubble Telescope, we can fly across the country and connect in less than a few hours, society is improving because we are inventing and discovering and making better things. But attitude wise, we are a bunch of idiots in general (present company excluded!). hehe
9.23.2005
Good to Have You Back
Note to self: in a crisis, shoot Thew before he shoots you.
Seriously, I am sure the lovely Mrs. Thew is quite comforted by your words. At least she know why you would abandon her when the shit hits the fan.
Oh, maybe you were not talking about her. Surely, the precocious Thew children were covered by your "every man for himself" remark. Hmmmm. Maybe not?
In summary, you have got pretty much everything wrong in that post. Society, by definition cannot be base and selfish. Members of society certainly can, but we are all together because we, as individuals, recognize the benefit of working together. We recognize that there is a trade off between our own complete individual freedom (which would allow us to, say, kill the b*&%$ in the minivan/SUV talking on her cellphone and not paying attention) and others' complete individual freedom (which would allow them to toast me on those rare moments when I am driving and not paying attention).
Society can break down - it did in New Orleans (Firing guns at emergency personnel! For God's sake!) But even that was more than outweighed by the selflessness of hundred of individuals who helped directly and indirectly. Of course, if it bleeds - it leads. The MSM is not interested in showing the milk of human kindness, they are interested in blaming President Bush.
One fine point: it is wrong, but morally justifiable to steal necessities during an emergency. Food, water, diapers, batteries, even clothes, I understand. Big screen TVs? I don't think so.
Finally, I simply disagree with your fundamental assertion: society is getting worse. Society is getting better and better and better. We ARE improving as a nation. Sometimes we take a step back and, of course TV and the internet allows us to observe the seedier side, up close and personal. But I would take your average American today, then your average American from 1905 any day.
Seriously, I am sure the lovely Mrs. Thew is quite comforted by your words. At least she know why you would abandon her when the shit hits the fan.
Oh, maybe you were not talking about her. Surely, the precocious Thew children were covered by your "every man for himself" remark. Hmmmm. Maybe not?
In summary, you have got pretty much everything wrong in that post. Society, by definition cannot be base and selfish. Members of society certainly can, but we are all together because we, as individuals, recognize the benefit of working together. We recognize that there is a trade off between our own complete individual freedom (which would allow us to, say, kill the b*&%$ in the minivan/SUV talking on her cellphone and not paying attention) and others' complete individual freedom (which would allow them to toast me on those rare moments when I am driving and not paying attention).
Society can break down - it did in New Orleans (Firing guns at emergency personnel! For God's sake!) But even that was more than outweighed by the selflessness of hundred of individuals who helped directly and indirectly. Of course, if it bleeds - it leads. The MSM is not interested in showing the milk of human kindness, they are interested in blaming President Bush.
One fine point: it is wrong, but morally justifiable to steal necessities during an emergency. Food, water, diapers, batteries, even clothes, I understand. Big screen TVs? I don't think so.
Finally, I simply disagree with your fundamental assertion: society is getting worse. Society is getting better and better and better. We ARE improving as a nation. Sometimes we take a step back and, of course TV and the internet allows us to observe the seedier side, up close and personal. But I would take your average American today, then your average American from 1905 any day.
9.22.2005
Time for a Reality Check
Time for the cynical Thew to rear his ugly head. Where have I been? Well, new job with long hours, no gems from Tilam to crush under the weight of my keen mind, etc. Bottom line, been busy.
"My brother's keeper". Hmm, interesting quote. And no matter how TRUE that might be, when the shit hits the fan, and there is no help in immediate sight, the sheer baseness of the human existence take control, then it becomes every man for himself. Why do people loot? Why do people steal and attack each other in the middle of the misery and devastation? Because deep down inside we are selfish animals. Our basic need for power, dominance, and survival produce actions that go against "normal human behavior". Of course, many of the people who looted where the poor and (possibly) homeless, determining that "if you are not going to help me, at least I'm going to get something for nothing out of this". The basic need for humans to be selfish also takes place during celebrations and public parties - smash, steal, loot, and get something for nothing. But it is real, and as we move forward in time, you can see too many instances of society lowering itself to the lowest common decency of behavior. We are getting more and more angry, more beligerent, and less concerned with anything outside our close circle.
Is this a socio-economic issue? Maybe. Because as I stated, the impression is that only the people of lesser income and means are the ones who do this - since they cannot afford it, the "mob mentality" is to get your hands on everything and claim it. But society is degenerating in too many places - we are becoming less than animals in many instances, not even enough of a "pride" to take care of our own.
Enough instances of people helping people prove me wrong enough in this, but still, I put forth society as base and selfish...
"My brother's keeper". Hmm, interesting quote. And no matter how TRUE that might be, when the shit hits the fan, and there is no help in immediate sight, the sheer baseness of the human existence take control, then it becomes every man for himself. Why do people loot? Why do people steal and attack each other in the middle of the misery and devastation? Because deep down inside we are selfish animals. Our basic need for power, dominance, and survival produce actions that go against "normal human behavior". Of course, many of the people who looted where the poor and (possibly) homeless, determining that "if you are not going to help me, at least I'm going to get something for nothing out of this". The basic need for humans to be selfish also takes place during celebrations and public parties - smash, steal, loot, and get something for nothing. But it is real, and as we move forward in time, you can see too many instances of society lowering itself to the lowest common decency of behavior. We are getting more and more angry, more beligerent, and less concerned with anything outside our close circle.
Is this a socio-economic issue? Maybe. Because as I stated, the impression is that only the people of lesser income and means are the ones who do this - since they cannot afford it, the "mob mentality" is to get your hands on everything and claim it. But society is degenerating in too many places - we are becoming less than animals in many instances, not even enough of a "pride" to take care of our own.
Enough instances of people helping people prove me wrong enough in this, but still, I put forth society as base and selfish...
9.12.2005
My Brother's Keeper
We were driving home after dinner last night, our kids started discussing a few passages from the Old Testament. (We are not religious fanatics - it started when one of my sons said it would be cool to have a flaming sword like the angel guarding the Garden of Eden, which he remembered....how?)
One story that does always draws their curiosity is the story of Cain and Abel. Why bring this up? Well in all the commentary and blame and defensiveness surrounding Hurricane Katrina, it struck me that the one pearl of wisdom you could pass along to everyone is that "we are all our brother's keepers."
Given a tragedy, be it natural or man-made, the government will help...eventually. But be it an hour, a day, week or month, there will be a time before that organized help arrives. In that time, the fact remains that we are all dependent on our families, neighbors and fellow citizens for help. Conversely, we all must heed the call to help others.
When that bond fails, you have lawlessness, grief and violence. When it holds, you have heroism, comfort and hope.
The Mayor, Governor or President, no matter how powerful or prescient, can not help any of us then. At that moment, we need each other.
One story that does always draws their curiosity is the story of Cain and Abel. Why bring this up? Well in all the commentary and blame and defensiveness surrounding Hurricane Katrina, it struck me that the one pearl of wisdom you could pass along to everyone is that "we are all our brother's keepers."
Given a tragedy, be it natural or man-made, the government will help...eventually. But be it an hour, a day, week or month, there will be a time before that organized help arrives. In that time, the fact remains that we are all dependent on our families, neighbors and fellow citizens for help. Conversely, we all must heed the call to help others.
When that bond fails, you have lawlessness, grief and violence. When it holds, you have heroism, comfort and hope.
The Mayor, Governor or President, no matter how powerful or prescient, can not help any of us then. At that moment, we need each other.
8.25.2005
Michael Yon
Michael Yon is a writer/reporter in Iraq. From his website: "Michael Yon is an independent, informed observer chronicling the monumentally important events in the efforts to stabilize Iraq. His dispatches have the benefit of his life experiences without drawbacks based on deadlines or demands of marketplace."
His dispatches are some of the most powerful, gripping reporting on the actual goings on in Iraq. Go visit.
His dispatches are some of the most powerful, gripping reporting on the actual goings on in Iraq. Go visit.
8.23.2005
Thoughts Online
After an Instapundit referral, I have added "Thoughts Online" to the blog roll. Steve Sturm puts together some well thought out pieces. I don't necessarily agree with everything, But Tilam abhors the echo chamber.
Check out the site.
Check out the site.
8.22.2005
It's Been Awhile
since Thew or I posted. We can't let August go by without something, can we? I have been absent because of vacations and a job related thing which I will recount at some point. And 'Tilam' blog is not popular enough to entice guest bloggers.
No links, just some passing thoughts.
So around the horn:
Able Danger: Is it me or is anyone else getting sick of "independent" inquiries and commissions that are suppose to get to the bottom of the matter, but only serve to whitewash the problem. CBS, Oil-for-Food, Idol (tee, hee) and now the 9/11 commission. It is not clear to me how important Able Danger is to the fighting the GWOT in the future, but I am concerned that a bi-partisan commission that was supposed to take a hard look at the intelligence failures prior to 9/11 has seemed to ignore important information rather than embarrass a commission member.
Can't we get this independent commission thing right?
UPDATE: Steve Sturm has articulated my feelings nicely.
Iraqi Constitution: I pray to God for its success. I am less concerned about what it looks like today: I believe that if the process is successful, as time goes on and participation in the political process becomes more wide spread a "true" constitution will emerge. (Remember it took the US a couple of tries to get it right.) So getting right, in the long run, means creating a system of government that allows the people to make choices as to the role or religion, women and federalist principles. While I think chartering a "less then equal" role for women would be a mistake, I also remember that women's suffrage was not a notion high on the Founders' mind in the late-18th century.
Give the Iraqis time, they will get it right.
Cindy Sheehan: Terri Schaivo, Elian Gonzales. All tragic personal stories that become pawns in partisan politics. Willing or unwillingly.
AL East: This might end up being a race. But the Indians and A's will have something to say about who gets the chance to face the White Sox in the ALCS and then the Cardinals in the WS.
Lefty: Good on you. He's got a few more in him. How about Tiger: two majors and loses the other two by a combined 4 strokes. That is still dominant in my books.
No links, just some passing thoughts.
So around the horn:
Able Danger: Is it me or is anyone else getting sick of "independent" inquiries and commissions that are suppose to get to the bottom of the matter, but only serve to whitewash the problem. CBS, Oil-for-Food, Idol (tee, hee) and now the 9/11 commission. It is not clear to me how important Able Danger is to the fighting the GWOT in the future, but I am concerned that a bi-partisan commission that was supposed to take a hard look at the intelligence failures prior to 9/11 has seemed to ignore important information rather than embarrass a commission member.
Can't we get this independent commission thing right?
UPDATE: Steve Sturm has articulated my feelings nicely.
Iraqi Constitution: I pray to God for its success. I am less concerned about what it looks like today: I believe that if the process is successful, as time goes on and participation in the political process becomes more wide spread a "true" constitution will emerge. (Remember it took the US a couple of tries to get it right.) So getting right, in the long run, means creating a system of government that allows the people to make choices as to the role or religion, women and federalist principles. While I think chartering a "less then equal" role for women would be a mistake, I also remember that women's suffrage was not a notion high on the Founders' mind in the late-18th century.
Give the Iraqis time, they will get it right.
Cindy Sheehan: Terri Schaivo, Elian Gonzales. All tragic personal stories that become pawns in partisan politics. Willing or unwillingly.
AL East: This might end up being a race. But the Indians and A's will have something to say about who gets the chance to face the White Sox in the ALCS and then the Cardinals in the WS.
Lefty: Good on you. He's got a few more in him. How about Tiger: two majors and loses the other two by a combined 4 strokes. That is still dominant in my books.
7.07.2005
It's a mad mad mad mad world!
Al Quaeda strikes in London. Horrible. And I feel for the London people, just off the high of winning the olympic bid. But the world has changed completely now, and ultimately forever. Those terrorist pigs will never go away again, and the next big war of the world will be to wipe them out with strategic strikes, possibly even Nuclear (although I doubt we'll use nukes). The world landscape has been fundamentally altered; wonder if the Spanish and French and Germans are rethinking their positions? Yeah, I'll bet they are getting ready to grab their ankles and bend right over...
Michelle Wie - is anyone as sick of her circus sideshow as I am? Look, she played great at the LPGA, but she hasn't won ANYTHING! Nothing in the juniors, nothing in the amatuers, and expecially nothing at the pro level. She hasn't proven anything other than the fact that a nice young lady who can bomb the ball can bring in more gate dollars. She has proven nothing in her career, and I will predict a mediocre career for her in the long run. Getting beat down by professionals week in and week out because they are BETTER than her cannot be good for her confidence or psyche, but I guess we'll see. With all those sponsor exemptions (on both the PGA and LPGA tours) she has become a freak sideshow, which I think is bad for the game. And fosters resentment among the other, more seasoned tour players...
So the suspects in the Aruba case have been released...with no body, and all their time to fabricate stores and alibis, it's not a surprise they are let out. But I believe that the little shithead Van Der Snot is a guilty rich kid, and his father is assiting in covering this up cuz he's a diplomat. She's dead, they buried or sank her body, it's time to accept the inevitable.
Shasta Groene was molested...this is also not a surprise. What is INCREDIBLE is this man's ability to elude scrutiny, and not register, and register then jump ship to another state - our child molester laws either don't work, or are great but not diligently enforced. Face it USA, your federal law enforcement, as necessary as they are, have become for the most part lazy and ineffective. I'm just going to protect my house from intruders and danger using a new Smith & Wesson security system. Screw it. If the alarm goes off, I will put a hole in the chest of anything that walks through the door. I am losing confidence in our policing agencies.
So Kenny Rogers apologized for his tirade against a couple of cameramen which sent one to the hospital. Now there's a police investigation. What an asshole. He's suspended for 20 games, FORBID him to play in the All Star game. THAT is a punishment that to me, fits the crime. Too many times we forgive abhorrent behavior from our professional atheletes because they are "swell guys". F**K THAT! Being an asshole is based little on your social or professional status - if you're an asshole, you're an asshole.
Granted, that brings me to another rant. I DO think we need to give some of our "beautiful people" absolutely NO slack when they attack paparazzi and such for intruding into their lives. Hey, sorry, the price of fame and fortune. You want the quon, you gotta pay the price. Yes, there are some limits, like a cameraman following you into the john taking a picture while your dropping a load, but hey, it's all part and parcel of the famous person thing. Like the football players complaining that they are hurt and broken after they retire from the sport. SO WHAT? You wanted to make millions a year playing a professional sport, that's what you get! No one forced you to play football, tough shit! No sympathy here. Whiners...
On a final note, the annual "kick Tilam's ass on the golf course outing" is coming up in just over a month. Start the obituaries...
Michelle Wie - is anyone as sick of her circus sideshow as I am? Look, she played great at the LPGA, but she hasn't won ANYTHING! Nothing in the juniors, nothing in the amatuers, and expecially nothing at the pro level. She hasn't proven anything other than the fact that a nice young lady who can bomb the ball can bring in more gate dollars. She has proven nothing in her career, and I will predict a mediocre career for her in the long run. Getting beat down by professionals week in and week out because they are BETTER than her cannot be good for her confidence or psyche, but I guess we'll see. With all those sponsor exemptions (on both the PGA and LPGA tours) she has become a freak sideshow, which I think is bad for the game. And fosters resentment among the other, more seasoned tour players...
So the suspects in the Aruba case have been released...with no body, and all their time to fabricate stores and alibis, it's not a surprise they are let out. But I believe that the little shithead Van Der Snot is a guilty rich kid, and his father is assiting in covering this up cuz he's a diplomat. She's dead, they buried or sank her body, it's time to accept the inevitable.
Shasta Groene was molested...this is also not a surprise. What is INCREDIBLE is this man's ability to elude scrutiny, and not register, and register then jump ship to another state - our child molester laws either don't work, or are great but not diligently enforced. Face it USA, your federal law enforcement, as necessary as they are, have become for the most part lazy and ineffective. I'm just going to protect my house from intruders and danger using a new Smith & Wesson security system. Screw it. If the alarm goes off, I will put a hole in the chest of anything that walks through the door. I am losing confidence in our policing agencies.
So Kenny Rogers apologized for his tirade against a couple of cameramen which sent one to the hospital. Now there's a police investigation. What an asshole. He's suspended for 20 games, FORBID him to play in the All Star game. THAT is a punishment that to me, fits the crime. Too many times we forgive abhorrent behavior from our professional atheletes because they are "swell guys". F**K THAT! Being an asshole is based little on your social or professional status - if you're an asshole, you're an asshole.
Granted, that brings me to another rant. I DO think we need to give some of our "beautiful people" absolutely NO slack when they attack paparazzi and such for intruding into their lives. Hey, sorry, the price of fame and fortune. You want the quon, you gotta pay the price. Yes, there are some limits, like a cameraman following you into the john taking a picture while your dropping a load, but hey, it's all part and parcel of the famous person thing. Like the football players complaining that they are hurt and broken after they retire from the sport. SO WHAT? You wanted to make millions a year playing a professional sport, that's what you get! No one forced you to play football, tough shit! No sympathy here. Whiners...
On a final note, the annual "kick Tilam's ass on the golf course outing" is coming up in just over a month. Start the obituaries...
6.30.2005
The difference between MEN and boys
The TPC at Sugarloaf, site of the BellSouth classic, was my last stomping grounds to test my golf game. Mind you, although we all struggle at times with golf (or tennis, whatever), on the whole, I am a solid 3 handicapper and have recorded 4 rounds underpar, my lowest being a 3 under (one 68 and one 69). I play top notch clubs, a nice little right to left draw off the tee, and average around 260 with the big dog.
But I got my ass handed to me...granted, I have been fighting my swing the last couple of months, with ascending scores of 73-73-76-78-80-81. Frustrating as all hell, but I saw the light yesterday at Sugarloaf. However, let me tell you the difference between public (even private) courses and professional venues. If you miss by a little (the amateur version of little), you take it on the chin. Hard. But the BIG/HUGE/MONUMENTOUS difference is the greens. Slicker than ice in Norway, hidden breaks, nasty pin positions, you find NONE of this sort of stuff on the cow pastures we call our local publinks. And while you're working at your 9-5 job, that course is out there practicing every day, waiting for you. I shot an 85. Two 3-jacks, a snowman, another triple, 5 lipped out par putts (the kind that drop on YOUR course), and the sort of humbling you only receive on fraternity initiation night. Granted, I almost drove the 295 yard 13th hole uphill, and I played the closing 18th hole perfectly, the first 13/14 holes were just ugly. It's a great course, one I'd like to take on with my normal/A game, but yesterday, I ripe for the pluckin...score one for the course. :(
I DOES get a little better than that, but it's all a matter of perspective - having a cold Coke (beer?) with my 11 year old son after 18 holes, overlooking the 18th green, is nirvana for me.
Bernie Ecclestone is yet another example of high powered owners leaders who have no frikkin common sense, and never keep their mouth shut. Jimmy the Greek? Al Campanis? Marge Schott? Welcome to the club asswipe. Yet another prejudiced, misogynistic, butthead in a position of high power. Will they never learn. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to dress Danica in something white, like a linen nightie, but I can't see myself playing "open the microwave and turn up the oven baby". Mind-boggling.
I LOVED the final round of the US Open. Despite my semi-prodigious golfing skill (when you compare me to the golfing public at large), I enjoy seeing the pro's really have to work hard to make par, to see them struggle like Joe Average. It helps us yell at the TV "you see, now you know what it feels like". To see the pros shoot high numbers and fight to make par binds us all by encouraging us to empathize with each others' struggle, and to show that they, like us, are human and can be pummelled by a course. I felt bad for Jason Gore, but he'll gain a few endorsements because of his showing, I think. Little extra lettuce in the salad bowl.
ON a final, and personal note, my beautiful wife is a great cook. It's a struggle to keep my waistline below 32, even at my advanced age. And she makes a mean bowl of chili. But this time, she added chipotle peppers to the mix. Oh man, those mofo's are HOT. This time, and she'll find out later in the evening, the term "mean chili" will take on a whole new definition...
But I got my ass handed to me...granted, I have been fighting my swing the last couple of months, with ascending scores of 73-73-76-78-80-81. Frustrating as all hell, but I saw the light yesterday at Sugarloaf. However, let me tell you the difference between public (even private) courses and professional venues. If you miss by a little (the amateur version of little), you take it on the chin. Hard. But the BIG/HUGE/MONUMENTOUS difference is the greens. Slicker than ice in Norway, hidden breaks, nasty pin positions, you find NONE of this sort of stuff on the cow pastures we call our local publinks. And while you're working at your 9-5 job, that course is out there practicing every day, waiting for you. I shot an 85. Two 3-jacks, a snowman, another triple, 5 lipped out par putts (the kind that drop on YOUR course), and the sort of humbling you only receive on fraternity initiation night. Granted, I almost drove the 295 yard 13th hole uphill, and I played the closing 18th hole perfectly, the first 13/14 holes were just ugly. It's a great course, one I'd like to take on with my normal/A game, but yesterday, I ripe for the pluckin...score one for the course. :(
I DOES get a little better than that, but it's all a matter of perspective - having a cold Coke (beer?) with my 11 year old son after 18 holes, overlooking the 18th green, is nirvana for me.
Bernie Ecclestone is yet another example of high powered owners leaders who have no frikkin common sense, and never keep their mouth shut. Jimmy the Greek? Al Campanis? Marge Schott? Welcome to the club asswipe. Yet another prejudiced, misogynistic, butthead in a position of high power. Will they never learn. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to dress Danica in something white, like a linen nightie, but I can't see myself playing "open the microwave and turn up the oven baby". Mind-boggling.
I LOVED the final round of the US Open. Despite my semi-prodigious golfing skill (when you compare me to the golfing public at large), I enjoy seeing the pro's really have to work hard to make par, to see them struggle like Joe Average. It helps us yell at the TV "you see, now you know what it feels like". To see the pros shoot high numbers and fight to make par binds us all by encouraging us to empathize with each others' struggle, and to show that they, like us, are human and can be pummelled by a course. I felt bad for Jason Gore, but he'll gain a few endorsements because of his showing, I think. Little extra lettuce in the salad bowl.
ON a final, and personal note, my beautiful wife is a great cook. It's a struggle to keep my waistline below 32, even at my advanced age. And she makes a mean bowl of chili. But this time, she added chipotle peppers to the mix. Oh man, those mofo's are HOT. This time, and she'll find out later in the evening, the term "mean chili" will take on a whole new definition...
6.28.2005
Baseball Update
My Boys looked good over the weekend; winning 13-4 in 95 degree heat on Sunday. With the exception of one inning where they looked like the Keystone Cops (and gave up 2 runs), it was a solid outing. They quickly went up 2-0, but the other team battled back to go up 3-2 after 2 innings. My son pitched the 2 middle innings and gave up a run in each with 2 Ks, generally an excellent outing against another All-star team. Of course, he also notched the W. (He was also 1 for one, with a stolen base, 2 Ws and three runs scored. Papa was proud.) We scored 5 runs the next inning, 1 in the fourth and 5 in the fifth. As the home team, we did not need a sixth inning.
Our closer was money. This young man has got a great arm: he faced their 1 - 6 batters and K'd them all. Our defense record 3 DPs (doubling up runners on line drives) and the kids generally adapted to the new rules pretty well. We were shaky at points, but out of their 6 innings at the plate, we shut them out 3 times due to good pitching and heads-up fielding.
One cute story is that one of our lead-off batters walked and was given the steal sign. He broke down the base path and...nothing happened. Their 2nd baseman and shortstop did not move; their catcher did not hurry to throw and, more disconcerting to our runner, the was no shouting. (Normally on a play like that, everyone, coaches, players, fans, is shouting directions at the same time.) Assuming the play is dead, our runner stops. Finally, I yell to keep going and he gets to second base. He was just totally taken aback by the silence.
All-in-all, no complaints.
Our closer was money. This young man has got a great arm: he faced their 1 - 6 batters and K'd them all. Our defense record 3 DPs (doubling up runners on line drives) and the kids generally adapted to the new rules pretty well. We were shaky at points, but out of their 6 innings at the plate, we shut them out 3 times due to good pitching and heads-up fielding.
One cute story is that one of our lead-off batters walked and was given the steal sign. He broke down the base path and...nothing happened. Their 2nd baseman and shortstop did not move; their catcher did not hurry to throw and, more disconcerting to our runner, the was no shouting. (Normally on a play like that, everyone, coaches, players, fans, is shouting directions at the same time.) Assuming the play is dead, our runner stops. Finally, I yell to keep going and he gets to second base. He was just totally taken aback by the silence.
All-in-all, no complaints.
6.24.2005
Around the Horn...
I am coaching an 8 year old All Star team which my youngest son plays on. We were able to get one practice in before the first Tournament starts tomorrow. It is a big deal for these guys because they are playing with rules from the next age group (so, for example, stealing is permitted). I bring this up because I get a tremendous satisfaction from coaching. More specifically, when a kid who has struggled with something all of the sudden "gets it," it is a great feeling. I am sure that teachers get this feeling, but as an amateur coach, it is very special to me.
In our last game of the regular season, we were down 9-5 going into the last inning to the first place team. This team was the "ringer" team - every league has one and these guys were it.
We then proceed to score 5 runs (the inning limit) to go ahead 10-9. I bring in my best pitcher (in two years, he has yet to let in a run) who promptly strikes out the first batter on three pitches, but yields a triple to the second batter. The next batter his a fly ball that my left fielder makes a GREAT running grab and promptly doubles up the runner on third.
A sunny evening coaching a great bunch of kids. Life does not get much better than that.
* * *
I am ready to write Steinbrenner and offer him my 8 and 9 year olds. Unfortunately, they are 30 years too young and millions too cheap.
But they could not play much worse.
Danica Patrick is a domestic appliance? F1 president Bernie Ecclestone puts his foot in his mouth TWICE. Of course, I could be too harsh. After all, I have not seen Bernie's kitchen...
U.S. Open. Amazing. Three of the Top 4 golfers shoot 80 or above on Sunday to blow it. Even Tiger goes bogey-bogey on 1 and 2, which accounted for his deficit. But think about that: Retief Goosen 81; Olin Browne 80; and Jason Gore 84. Not to take anything away from Michael Campbell, but DAMN.
Connecticut is taking a closer look at coaches' deals outside of the university. The state has said that Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma are "no different" then other state employees. Are you friggin' kidding me? No different except that they put UConn on the map. Except that they and their teams bring in countless dollars in ticket sales, TV deals and booster/alumni cash. The fact is that allowing Calhoun to get a Nike deal allows UConn to pay him less then they would otherwise. So, I am all for this, but Jim and Geno deserve a considerable raise if you cut out their endorsement deals.
The Revolution and FC Dallas are the class of the MLS this year. (I love the trend in the MLS to use "international" names like CD Chivas USA and DC United, though Real Salt Lake does not quite do it for me.) The Revolution has lost only one game and FC has lost only two. At this point, it looks like these teams are a lock for the title game.
* * *
One final kids baseball note. My team ended up 9-3 this year after starting the year off 2-3. While I would love to take some credit, the thing that was amazing was our pitching. As a team, we had a solid 7 or 8 kids who could pitch. Most of the other teams had 4 or 5 if they were lucky. As a result, we out scored our opponents a whopping 25-6 when kids pitched. (In our league, coaches pitch for the first three inning and kids for innings 4 through 6.) My boys were money on the mound.
Just goes to show, at any age, pitching wins games.
In our last game of the regular season, we were down 9-5 going into the last inning to the first place team. This team was the "ringer" team - every league has one and these guys were it.
We then proceed to score 5 runs (the inning limit) to go ahead 10-9. I bring in my best pitcher (in two years, he has yet to let in a run) who promptly strikes out the first batter on three pitches, but yields a triple to the second batter. The next batter his a fly ball that my left fielder makes a GREAT running grab and promptly doubles up the runner on third.
A sunny evening coaching a great bunch of kids. Life does not get much better than that.
* * *
I am ready to write Steinbrenner and offer him my 8 and 9 year olds. Unfortunately, they are 30 years too young and millions too cheap.
But they could not play much worse.
Danica Patrick is a domestic appliance? F1 president Bernie Ecclestone puts his foot in his mouth TWICE. Of course, I could be too harsh. After all, I have not seen Bernie's kitchen...
U.S. Open. Amazing. Three of the Top 4 golfers shoot 80 or above on Sunday to blow it. Even Tiger goes bogey-bogey on 1 and 2, which accounted for his deficit. But think about that: Retief Goosen 81; Olin Browne 80; and Jason Gore 84. Not to take anything away from Michael Campbell, but DAMN.
Connecticut is taking a closer look at coaches' deals outside of the university. The state has said that Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma are "no different" then other state employees. Are you friggin' kidding me? No different except that they put UConn on the map. Except that they and their teams bring in countless dollars in ticket sales, TV deals and booster/alumni cash. The fact is that allowing Calhoun to get a Nike deal allows UConn to pay him less then they would otherwise. So, I am all for this, but Jim and Geno deserve a considerable raise if you cut out their endorsement deals.
The Revolution and FC Dallas are the class of the MLS this year. (I love the trend in the MLS to use "international" names like CD Chivas USA and DC United, though Real Salt Lake does not quite do it for me.) The Revolution has lost only one game and FC has lost only two. At this point, it looks like these teams are a lock for the title game.
* * *
One final kids baseball note. My team ended up 9-3 this year after starting the year off 2-3. While I would love to take some credit, the thing that was amazing was our pitching. As a team, we had a solid 7 or 8 kids who could pitch. Most of the other teams had 4 or 5 if they were lucky. As a result, we out scored our opponents a whopping 25-6 when kids pitched. (In our league, coaches pitch for the first three inning and kids for innings 4 through 6.) My boys were money on the mound.
Just goes to show, at any age, pitching wins games.
6.14.2005
How to fondle little boys and beat the rap...
The big distinction between being guilty and being PROVEN guilty
Michael Jackson. Not guilty. On all counts. I tried my best to NOT follow this circus, even though I was flooded with images and info from all news sources across the TV (although thanks to ESPN for sparing me). I was hoping he'd get convicted and then he could know what it's like to TRULY be someone's little kid. Let's face it, how you can sleep alone with all those little boys pretty much EVERY night without performing some lewd sex act is a difficult concept to accept, especially because of apparent damaging testimony from security personnel. But although MJ is a child molester in the court of public opinion, he's not according to this case. By all accounts the prosecution did not present sufficient and secure enough evidence to erase all shreds of doubt - and remember, reasonable doubt is all it takes. So I ask, "is Michael Jackson a child molester"? I would say "yep". I also ask "was there sufficient evidence to convict him in this case"? I would say "nope".
*sniff* *sniff* You smell that? Oh yeah, smells like the OJ Simpson trial...
The San Antonio Spurs are like Pete Sampras...not flashy, not edgy, but talented and precise in their dismantling of teams. They are efficient, and even though Manu Ginobli is sort of flashy, their identifying player, Tim Duncan, is quiet and reserved and the person around whom ANY championship team should be built. I'm a big fan of KG, but Duncan has the ability to carry a team to a championship.
Hockey...
Well, Bettman and the NHL Owners won. Only a fool wouldn't admit that a hybrid salary cap/luxury tax system with a ceiling in the neighborhood of $36 million is a victory for Bettman and the owners. But at what cost? Faction and allegiance of the fans...oh yeah. But what about the financial aspects of the game in respects to the fan? This raises the question of whether franchises whose payroll costs will be drastically cut will roll back ticket prices - okay, well, we are now at a point where our costs are being monitored and will be MUCH more predictable and fixed, we're going to pass on some savings to you, the fan? HAH! If you believe that, I've got some land to sell ya...
Michael Jackson. Not guilty. On all counts. I tried my best to NOT follow this circus, even though I was flooded with images and info from all news sources across the TV (although thanks to ESPN for sparing me). I was hoping he'd get convicted and then he could know what it's like to TRULY be someone's little kid. Let's face it, how you can sleep alone with all those little boys pretty much EVERY night without performing some lewd sex act is a difficult concept to accept, especially because of apparent damaging testimony from security personnel. But although MJ is a child molester in the court of public opinion, he's not according to this case. By all accounts the prosecution did not present sufficient and secure enough evidence to erase all shreds of doubt - and remember, reasonable doubt is all it takes. So I ask, "is Michael Jackson a child molester"? I would say "yep". I also ask "was there sufficient evidence to convict him in this case"? I would say "nope".
*sniff* *sniff* You smell that? Oh yeah, smells like the OJ Simpson trial...
The San Antonio Spurs are like Pete Sampras...not flashy, not edgy, but talented and precise in their dismantling of teams. They are efficient, and even though Manu Ginobli is sort of flashy, their identifying player, Tim Duncan, is quiet and reserved and the person around whom ANY championship team should be built. I'm a big fan of KG, but Duncan has the ability to carry a team to a championship.
Hockey...
Well, Bettman and the NHL Owners won. Only a fool wouldn't admit that a hybrid salary cap/luxury tax system with a ceiling in the neighborhood of $36 million is a victory for Bettman and the owners. But at what cost? Faction and allegiance of the fans...oh yeah. But what about the financial aspects of the game in respects to the fan? This raises the question of whether franchises whose payroll costs will be drastically cut will roll back ticket prices - okay, well, we are now at a point where our costs are being monitored and will be MUCH more predictable and fixed, we're going to pass on some savings to you, the fan? HAH! If you believe that, I've got some land to sell ya...
6.13.2005
Back on to Serious Topics
I finally saw Star Wars
Good movie. I was, in fact, a bit disappointed by the true reason for Anakin's turn to the dark side (to save Padme from death during childbirth), but if you follow the plot of episodes 1 & 2, you'll see that Anakin is very much ruled by emotions, which isn't good for a jedi. His emotional frailty allows him to be manipulated by Darth Sidious into swapping sides. The interesting conundrum here is that Anakin moves to the dark side to save Padme from death, yet Padme dies because she "loses the will to live" because Anakin has turned to the dark side. Nice loop. Some more musings on the movie:
- Darth Vader did NOT "kill all the jedi's" as was mentioned several times in other episodes. The renegade (order 66) storm troopers did the killing.
- I was SO glad that Mace Windu got whacked. Samuel L Jackson's portrayal of the Jedi master was as wooden as a baseball bat (although not as interesting).
- the lightsabre battles were TOP NOTCH.
- interesting how Anakin complete catches on fire but then flames out after he's burned badly enough. I thought clothes (and flesh) just continue to burn.
- Anakin loses half of both legs and half of his other arm...a true cyborg now.
- there is a HUGE hole between episode3 and episode4, but oh well, we'll have to take it on faith - although I'd LOVE to see a Han Solo/Chewbacca based movie to fill in the gaps of their adventures.
All in all, it was a good ending to the "trilogy", but it still left me somewhat unsatisfied. Is that because there are still some questions and that long gap in time, or is it because I've come to expect so much from George Lucas? Not sure...
*****
The Yankees are the most talented lineup in MLB, but they are not the best TEAM. And they are playing like it.
Singularity...god, the good lord must be coming soon, since I agree with Tilam yet again. The idea of a singularity is silly, to me. Advances in technology cannot occur "too fast for us to understand or predict", aren't we the ones making those advances? Are they saying that we are reinventing the wheel without having a clue as to what we are doing? What is this, 10 monkeys around a typewriter banging away, only to come up with "War and Peace"? I disagree - mankind might not be able to predict coming advances in technology to some degree, but truly, any advance we make is because we understand and cognitively pursue that advance. Also, computers are able to out-think mankind in terms of speed, but they will NEVER reach the depths of the human mind unless we can program emotion and feeling into them. Sure, a computer can figure out what 2375 / 47 is MUCH quicker than I can, but it'll never understand the MEANING of that answer, if such is the case. Any reasoning based on logic and hard black/white fact can be passed through a computer to get the same answer as a human, albeit much faster. But to ask a computer a question that requires emotion and intuition and Tilam's "fuzzy logic" is like trying to reason with a Paris Hilton - all you'll get is a blank stare. :)
Annika...nuff said. :)
And finally, atheletes who should just "give up the comeback, yer too old to play":
Martina Navratilova
Deion Sanders
Ricky Henderson
Oil Can Boyd
Good movie. I was, in fact, a bit disappointed by the true reason for Anakin's turn to the dark side (to save Padme from death during childbirth), but if you follow the plot of episodes 1 & 2, you'll see that Anakin is very much ruled by emotions, which isn't good for a jedi. His emotional frailty allows him to be manipulated by Darth Sidious into swapping sides. The interesting conundrum here is that Anakin moves to the dark side to save Padme from death, yet Padme dies because she "loses the will to live" because Anakin has turned to the dark side. Nice loop. Some more musings on the movie:
- Darth Vader did NOT "kill all the jedi's" as was mentioned several times in other episodes. The renegade (order 66) storm troopers did the killing.
- I was SO glad that Mace Windu got whacked. Samuel L Jackson's portrayal of the Jedi master was as wooden as a baseball bat (although not as interesting).
- the lightsabre battles were TOP NOTCH.
- interesting how Anakin complete catches on fire but then flames out after he's burned badly enough. I thought clothes (and flesh) just continue to burn.
- Anakin loses half of both legs and half of his other arm...a true cyborg now.
- there is a HUGE hole between episode3 and episode4, but oh well, we'll have to take it on faith - although I'd LOVE to see a Han Solo/Chewbacca based movie to fill in the gaps of their adventures.
All in all, it was a good ending to the "trilogy", but it still left me somewhat unsatisfied. Is that because there are still some questions and that long gap in time, or is it because I've come to expect so much from George Lucas? Not sure...
*****
The Yankees are the most talented lineup in MLB, but they are not the best TEAM. And they are playing like it.
Singularity...god, the good lord must be coming soon, since I agree with Tilam yet again. The idea of a singularity is silly, to me. Advances in technology cannot occur "too fast for us to understand or predict", aren't we the ones making those advances? Are they saying that we are reinventing the wheel without having a clue as to what we are doing? What is this, 10 monkeys around a typewriter banging away, only to come up with "War and Peace"? I disagree - mankind might not be able to predict coming advances in technology to some degree, but truly, any advance we make is because we understand and cognitively pursue that advance. Also, computers are able to out-think mankind in terms of speed, but they will NEVER reach the depths of the human mind unless we can program emotion and feeling into them. Sure, a computer can figure out what 2375 / 47 is MUCH quicker than I can, but it'll never understand the MEANING of that answer, if such is the case. Any reasoning based on logic and hard black/white fact can be passed through a computer to get the same answer as a human, albeit much faster. But to ask a computer a question that requires emotion and intuition and Tilam's "fuzzy logic" is like trying to reason with a Paris Hilton - all you'll get is a blank stare. :)
Annika...nuff said. :)
And finally, atheletes who should just "give up the comeback, yer too old to play":
Martina Navratilova
Deion Sanders
Ricky Henderson
Oil Can Boyd
6.10.2005
The Singularity Myth
Instapundit and Centerfield have blogged about singularity. Since I need to save Thew the actual effort of clicking, singularity is the point where advances in technology occur so fast that it exceeds humans' ability to understand or predict. Singularity gained ground in 1993 with a paper by noted sci-fi author Vernor Vinge, who believes it is inevitable. In fact, according to singularity proponents, it could be happening right now.
Nonsense.
While I firmly believe that developments in technology and our understanding of the world are accelerating, I am incredibly unconvinced that singularity will ever happen. If it does, I am in Glenn's camp that super intelligent does not mean a malevolent force. (E.g. "Colossus: the Corbin Project." The new sci-fi action thriller "Stealth" has the same premise.) In fact, one could make a stronger argument that super intelligence would be a benevolent force.
My disbelief focuses around two points: the nature of human thought and the capacity of humans to learn (a point made by Jon Kay at Centerfield).
Being smart or super smart does not make you human. The human thought process involves not only raw computing power (IBM could not even attempt human thought until Blue Gene's 22.8 teraflops or about 22,000x your home PC), but emotion and intuition. So called "fuzzy logic" was created because Boolean logic was not smart enough to operate a refrigerator. The point being that the "raw computing power" in the human brain is only partially involved in thought and decisions. I am not yet convince that computers can be programmed for abstract thought or imagination. If so, I think we will be well beyond the capability of current computing. (What is beyond petaflops?) I am convinced that computers will continue to solve known problems very fast.
Second, I think an underlying assumption in Vinge's notion is the idea that the human capacity to learn and grow is less then the computers. This strikes me as particularly dubious. I see humans' capacity increasing at a pace to keep us well ahead of our silicon creations. Our brains and our capacity to learn is THE reason we are still around and are the dominant creature on this planet. While I am sure that there will be individuals without the capacity to comprehend and use the new technology, I am equally sure that there will be plenty that will. In addition, the flip side of learning is teaching. I may not get every advance mankind has made, but I trust the rocket scientists who do will teach me. Some IBM computer may well be smarter than I am, but singularity states that ALL of mankind will be left in the dust. I don't think so. Mankind is a giant, distributed supercomputer, so while I am pushing the boundaries of my expertise (and spreading the good to anyone who wants it), there are billions of others doing the same. I think I will continue to bet on that team.
Further, it is also unclear that computer learning will maintain its initial pace. To use an analogy: watch how fast a small child learns. It is amazing. But should you abstract that learning capacity to adulthood? I think computing is in the small "child phase." It is unclear to me that the pace of learning can be sustained at the present rate.
Of course, simply because I do not yet believe it, that does not mean that it will not happen. But I do not understand what is fundamentally different about a brain made out of silicon that will allow it to perform so much better and different then a brain made out of gray matter. And billions of brains at that.
Nonsense.
While I firmly believe that developments in technology and our understanding of the world are accelerating, I am incredibly unconvinced that singularity will ever happen. If it does, I am in Glenn's camp that super intelligent does not mean a malevolent force. (E.g. "Colossus: the Corbin Project." The new sci-fi action thriller "Stealth" has the same premise.) In fact, one could make a stronger argument that super intelligence would be a benevolent force.
My disbelief focuses around two points: the nature of human thought and the capacity of humans to learn (a point made by Jon Kay at Centerfield).
Being smart or super smart does not make you human. The human thought process involves not only raw computing power (IBM could not even attempt human thought until Blue Gene's 22.8 teraflops or about 22,000x your home PC), but emotion and intuition. So called "fuzzy logic" was created because Boolean logic was not smart enough to operate a refrigerator. The point being that the "raw computing power" in the human brain is only partially involved in thought and decisions. I am not yet convince that computers can be programmed for abstract thought or imagination. If so, I think we will be well beyond the capability of current computing. (What is beyond petaflops?) I am convinced that computers will continue to solve known problems very fast.
Second, I think an underlying assumption in Vinge's notion is the idea that the human capacity to learn and grow is less then the computers. This strikes me as particularly dubious. I see humans' capacity increasing at a pace to keep us well ahead of our silicon creations. Our brains and our capacity to learn is THE reason we are still around and are the dominant creature on this planet. While I am sure that there will be individuals without the capacity to comprehend and use the new technology, I am equally sure that there will be plenty that will. In addition, the flip side of learning is teaching. I may not get every advance mankind has made, but I trust the rocket scientists who do will teach me. Some IBM computer may well be smarter than I am, but singularity states that ALL of mankind will be left in the dust. I don't think so. Mankind is a giant, distributed supercomputer, so while I am pushing the boundaries of my expertise (and spreading the good to anyone who wants it), there are billions of others doing the same. I think I will continue to bet on that team.
Further, it is also unclear that computer learning will maintain its initial pace. To use an analogy: watch how fast a small child learns. It is amazing. But should you abstract that learning capacity to adulthood? I think computing is in the small "child phase." It is unclear to me that the pace of learning can be sustained at the present rate.
Of course, simply because I do not yet believe it, that does not mean that it will not happen. But I do not understand what is fundamentally different about a brain made out of silicon that will allow it to perform so much better and different then a brain made out of gray matter. And billions of brains at that.
6.08.2005
6.07.2005
Alderaan Goes Ka-boom
Professor Bainbridge's post on the Death Star's destruction of Alderaan had me rethinking my position on the incident. (He refers to Robert Hayes' post on the not so "Evil" Empire.) But only in one regard.
There is a strong argument that Leia was lying to Grand Moff Tarkin. If so, the destruction of Alderaan is a perfectly justifiable thing to do. Now, I happen to believe that Leia was obviously lying, but Grand Moff Tarkin had every reason to suspect so. The distinction is huge. If Alderaan is a rebel staging ground, destroying it is the smart thing to do. If not, well, it sucks to be Alderaanian. (BTW, the evidence for her lying is the fact that her foster father, Bail Organa, Alderaanian royalty and Senator, was one of the Founding Fathers of the Rebellion. There might not have been rebels, per se, on the planet, but it was the Rebellions' heart and soul.)
I think Robert's argument is tongue-in-cheek. (But Perry Eidelbus certainly does not think so.) The evidence for the "evil" is too overwhelming. (Wander through Perry's posts and you'll get the gist.) I guess I feel that it is such a non sequitur that I cannot take Robert's stance seriously. Evil or not, blowing up Alderaan was sensible: it just the universe to so darn big, and you can't be wasting time with precision weapons or minor life forms (e.g., Ewoks).
From a certain point of view.
There is a strong argument that Leia was lying to Grand Moff Tarkin. If so, the destruction of Alderaan is a perfectly justifiable thing to do. Now, I happen to believe that Leia was obviously lying, but Grand Moff Tarkin had every reason to suspect so. The distinction is huge. If Alderaan is a rebel staging ground, destroying it is the smart thing to do. If not, well, it sucks to be Alderaanian. (BTW, the evidence for her lying is the fact that her foster father, Bail Organa, Alderaanian royalty and Senator, was one of the Founding Fathers of the Rebellion. There might not have been rebels, per se, on the planet, but it was the Rebellions' heart and soul.)
I think Robert's argument is tongue-in-cheek. (But Perry Eidelbus certainly does not think so.) The evidence for the "evil" is too overwhelming. (Wander through Perry's posts and you'll get the gist.) I guess I feel that it is such a non sequitur that I cannot take Robert's stance seriously. Evil or not, blowing up Alderaan was sensible: it just the universe to so darn big, and you can't be wasting time with precision weapons or minor life forms (e.g., Ewoks).
From a certain point of view.
Conference Call Diaries
Celebrity Gossip Time! WOO WOO!
Kelly Osbourne enters rehab! Like, this is a surprise?!
Russell Crowe arrested for assault! Like, this is a surprise?!
Okay, enough stupid shit...
Medical Marijuana...
According to USA Today, that bastion of staunch journalism, the Supreme Court's ruled Monday that state medical marijuana laws do not protect thousands of medical-marijuana users from federal prosecution. Hehe. Here's an interesting subject. Do we allow people with "incredibly painful debilatating conditions" to use marijuana to ease their suffering? What makes pot different from, say Vidodin, other than the fact that Bret Fav-ruh was never addicted to it? Comments reflect the concern Monday of medical-marijuana users who said the court's 6-3 decision had left them with a difficult choice: Break the law in order to take a drug that makes life tolerable, or give up marijuana and be miserable. Hmmm. I'm kind of torn on this front, mostly because I think there is a TON of opportunities for this to become an abuse of the system - "gee doc, i got dis hangnail, ya think ya can perscribe some weed fer me?". And I guess I'm mostly clueless on the "why do they need marijuana when we have plenty of pain killers?". Is medical technology so bad that we have to use illegal drugs to supplant our available options? I'm sorry, not a fan...
Kelly Osbourne enters rehab! Like, this is a surprise?!
Russell Crowe arrested for assault! Like, this is a surprise?!
Okay, enough stupid shit...
Medical Marijuana...
According to USA Today, that bastion of staunch journalism, the Supreme Court's ruled Monday that state medical marijuana laws do not protect thousands of medical-marijuana users from federal prosecution. Hehe. Here's an interesting subject. Do we allow people with "incredibly painful debilatating conditions" to use marijuana to ease their suffering? What makes pot different from, say Vidodin, other than the fact that Bret Fav-ruh was never addicted to it? Comments reflect the concern Monday of medical-marijuana users who said the court's 6-3 decision had left them with a difficult choice: Break the law in order to take a drug that makes life tolerable, or give up marijuana and be miserable. Hmmm. I'm kind of torn on this front, mostly because I think there is a TON of opportunities for this to become an abuse of the system - "gee doc, i got dis hangnail, ya think ya can perscribe some weed fer me?". And I guess I'm mostly clueless on the "why do they need marijuana when we have plenty of pain killers?". Is medical technology so bad that we have to use illegal drugs to supplant our available options? I'm sorry, not a fan...
6.03.2005
The Beautiful Game
Thew acts as if I hate hockey. Au contraire, I enjoy hockey as a game, but I just can't get past the goonishness and cluelessness of the players and corporate interests. The fact of the matter is that the US has two sports: baseball and football. Others need not apply. There is room for other sports, but don't act like you are the second coming.
Basketball and hockey will never catch on. Basketball because of its inability to distinguish between felons and players and hockey because of its inability to distinguish...I mean because it is a sport with small participation. I still fundamentally believe that youth and young adult participation drives viewership. You need to feel an emotional connection to the sport and usually that comes from your experiences as a player. That is why I think soccer can become a bigger sport, but not to the level of baseball or football. Youth participation.
As for Danica in a bikini...and how about leather? Something tells me she will be in SI next year.
Ta-ta.
Basketball and hockey will never catch on. Basketball because of its inability to distinguish between felons and players and hockey because of its inability to distinguish...I mean because it is a sport with small participation. I still fundamentally believe that youth and young adult participation drives viewership. You need to feel an emotional connection to the sport and usually that comes from your experiences as a player. That is why I think soccer can become a bigger sport, but not to the level of baseball or football. Youth participation.
As for Danica in a bikini...and how about leather? Something tells me she will be in SI next year.
Ta-ta.
6.02.2005
Tilam posting about hockey?!
ESPN's decision to not pick up the contract with the NHL FURTHER illustrates the simple fact that hockey, and I hate to admit this, is pretty much a dying, if not dead, sport in the US. As if they were a HUGE draw on TV before the strike, they are on life support at this time. Of course, this decline in revenue will also bolster the owner's contention that they cannot support hockey as it is currently given the revenue stream, but I find it hard to support that because aren't they the idiots who allowed the salary structure to escalate? Let's fact it, if I were to double Tilam's salary to approximately $25K a year next year, of COURSE he'd take it. And he'd be more than happy to accept another increase the next year - minimum wage cementheads like Tilam are all about the benjamins. But then, 3 years from now, piss and moan at him and say "well, I bolstered your salary too high, now you have to take a cut or limit" why would he say no? He'd cackle at me in that old guy voice of his. Of course, this is a two pronged issue - the owners let things get out of hand, but the normal environment between the owners and players is so acrimonious even when at rest that the players weren't willing to pitch in and correct the owner's mistakes. The very people who just paid the players too frikkin much are being screwed by the very people who benefited from their stupidity. This time, well, I have to side with the owners. Yes, they were wrong to let salaries get out of hand and screw up the economies of the "business of hockey", but how much is too much? How much more than $1 million can you POSSIBLY need to earn? F**Knuts...
I can go WAY off about Danica Patrick and being the hot guy in the winners circle. About playing "gear shift". Lewd comments about "getting into the cockpit" of the car. Playing "engine and dipstick" with a bottle of champagne and mazola corn oil on the nightstand. But I won't. Wait, I just did. Ooops. Anyway, like I said, the girl can race. And who cares if she's a girl, if you discount the minor spinout she had on her first qualifying lap, she WINS THE POLE AT INDY! Fearless, and with a great team (Rahal-Letterman) behind her, she's got a bright future in store. I'll let you know if she's in the swimsuit issue next year, but I bet you a six-pack of beer it won't happen - because she's a driver, and won't want to cheapen herself by posing for the cheese shot in the bikini issue (MUCH to my disappointment, btw).
MLS soccer...French Open...*WHA?*...oh, sorry, I was asleep too. But I WILL comment that I am cautiously encouraged by the talent that is being home grown in MLS soccer these days. In a few years I think we will be among the world powers in soccer. That is, until the owners let salaries spiral out of control and the sport gets shut down.
Speaking of shut down, there are HUGE rumors that the NBA is going to experience a lockout. Billy Hunter, the Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson wanna be, played the assinine race card, intimating that people disrespect him and don't believe in his leadership because he's black. Nope, Billy, we think you're an ASSWIPE! You are being controlled by the high powered agents and the greedy players, and you're nothing more than a puppet. OMGz, the NBA just annoys me to no end - buncha no-moral, greedy, immature thugs, very few of whom have actually basketball skills, just are athletic and can run and dribble and dunk. What is MORE annoying is the fact that the union and owners HAD AN AGREEMENT, but when Hunter met with the agents, they all changed their tune! Man I hope this league goes away and hockey returns to the fold.
LAX. Exciting game. Johns Hopkins deserves kudos as a major and ongoing collect lacross power.
So the runaway bride was fined and forced to repay some of the cost of the frantic search for her when she was "missing". Fair enough. I sure hope she has saved more money, because she's going to make some therapist VERY rich.
My opinion on the most stress moment in sports - the Spelling Bee. Tilam couldn't spell "cat" if you spotted him the "c" and the "a", but the words that those kids are spelling these days are mind boggling!
I can go WAY off about Danica Patrick and being the hot guy in the winners circle. About playing "gear shift". Lewd comments about "getting into the cockpit" of the car. Playing "engine and dipstick" with a bottle of champagne and mazola corn oil on the nightstand. But I won't. Wait, I just did. Ooops. Anyway, like I said, the girl can race. And who cares if she's a girl, if you discount the minor spinout she had on her first qualifying lap, she WINS THE POLE AT INDY! Fearless, and with a great team (Rahal-Letterman) behind her, she's got a bright future in store. I'll let you know if she's in the swimsuit issue next year, but I bet you a six-pack of beer it won't happen - because she's a driver, and won't want to cheapen herself by posing for the cheese shot in the bikini issue (MUCH to my disappointment, btw).
MLS soccer...French Open...*WHA?*...oh, sorry, I was asleep too. But I WILL comment that I am cautiously encouraged by the talent that is being home grown in MLS soccer these days. In a few years I think we will be among the world powers in soccer. That is, until the owners let salaries spiral out of control and the sport gets shut down.
Speaking of shut down, there are HUGE rumors that the NBA is going to experience a lockout. Billy Hunter, the Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson wanna be, played the assinine race card, intimating that people disrespect him and don't believe in his leadership because he's black. Nope, Billy, we think you're an ASSWIPE! You are being controlled by the high powered agents and the greedy players, and you're nothing more than a puppet. OMGz, the NBA just annoys me to no end - buncha no-moral, greedy, immature thugs, very few of whom have actually basketball skills, just are athletic and can run and dribble and dunk. What is MORE annoying is the fact that the union and owners HAD AN AGREEMENT, but when Hunter met with the agents, they all changed their tune! Man I hope this league goes away and hockey returns to the fold.
LAX. Exciting game. Johns Hopkins deserves kudos as a major and ongoing collect lacross power.
So the runaway bride was fined and forced to repay some of the cost of the frantic search for her when she was "missing". Fair enough. I sure hope she has saved more money, because she's going to make some therapist VERY rich.
My opinion on the most stress moment in sports - the Spelling Bee. Tilam couldn't spell "cat" if you spotted him the "c" and the "a", but the words that those kids are spelling these days are mind boggling!
6.01.2005
Around the Horn
ESPN declined to pick up their $60 million television option with the NHL. While they could pick up the option for less (which I consider likely), it just makes the strike and labor dispute seem stupider by the day.
Danica Patrick. Male or female, it was the best finish by a rookie in a while. Kudos to her. So my questions is: if she had won, would there be a hot GUY in the winners circle with her? (Thew is available at a moments notice.) Anyone want to bet me that she will be in the SI Swimsuit issue next year?
French Open. It seems the unheralded...ZZZZZZZZ.
MLS. So DC United gets Freddy Adu while the Revolution manage to get Clint Dempsey from that soccer school Furman. So who is in the Top 3 in Goals, Assists and Game-winning Goals? Which team is undefeated? Will the Revs add another title to Beantown? A home and home against the Kansas City Wizards will help us answer that.
Lacrosse. Congratulations to Johns Hopkins for winning the NCAA men's lacrosse championship. Both their OT win against Virginia and the title game against Duke were great games. It was the Blue Jays first win in 18 years after dominating the sport. (Think UCLA NCAA Hoops win in 1995.) In fact, both JHU and Northwestern (the girls' champion) went undefeated this year. And this is with competition getting better and better. If you have not watched lacrosse, give it a try.
As an aside, I have to tip my hat to Duke's lacrosse program. This year they lost the championship by 1 goal and had a total of three losses (twice to JHU and one to semi-finalist Maryland). Last year, Duke won only 5 games. Read that again. 5 games. Duke continues its excellence in sports and academics and has become THE school for the scholar-athlete.
(Oh, how I hate to say that.)
Danica Patrick. Male or female, it was the best finish by a rookie in a while. Kudos to her. So my questions is: if she had won, would there be a hot GUY in the winners circle with her? (Thew is available at a moments notice.) Anyone want to bet me that she will be in the SI Swimsuit issue next year?
French Open. It seems the unheralded...ZZZZZZZZ.
MLS. So DC United gets Freddy Adu while the Revolution manage to get Clint Dempsey from that soccer school Furman. So who is in the Top 3 in Goals, Assists and Game-winning Goals? Which team is undefeated? Will the Revs add another title to Beantown? A home and home against the Kansas City Wizards will help us answer that.
Lacrosse. Congratulations to Johns Hopkins for winning the NCAA men's lacrosse championship. Both their OT win against Virginia and the title game against Duke were great games. It was the Blue Jays first win in 18 years after dominating the sport. (Think UCLA NCAA Hoops win in 1995.) In fact, both JHU and Northwestern (the girls' champion) went undefeated this year. And this is with competition getting better and better. If you have not watched lacrosse, give it a try.
As an aside, I have to tip my hat to Duke's lacrosse program. This year they lost the championship by 1 goal and had a total of three losses (twice to JHU and one to semi-finalist Maryland). Last year, Duke won only 5 games. Read that again. 5 games. Duke continues its excellence in sports and academics and has become THE school for the scholar-athlete.
(Oh, how I hate to say that.)
5.31.2005
Post-Memorial Day Jello Shot Opinions
The hypocrisy of stem cell attitudes seems outlined so eloquently by Tilam. So, an organ donor is okay to give up his/her body, but an unused fertilized egg, which might develop into a human, isn't? What is the difference here? An organ donor signs his/her pieces away legally with a document, why can't the stem cell donors do the same? If we are all true believers, then how can we donate organs, when as good christians and such, life doesn't "truly end" at death, but begins as specified by many of our religious teachings! Some people, as we have seen time and time again, just use words and positions to enforce their political agenda, and of course, that of their lobbyists and campaign contributors. And yes, if federal funding is decreased, then private funding should step up and see how far this avenue of human advancement can go.
Oh, and amazingly enough, I haven't commented on Ricky's return to the Dolphins. If the fish had ANY guts, they'd say "hey, yanno Ricky, we sort of drafted this great runner out of Auburn, have a nice life". Looks like Ricky burned through his money a little earlier than expected. :)
What to say about Danica Patrick. WOW! What a great and promising young driver - her 4th place finish in the Indy 500 as a ROOKIE is incredible and to be applauded. But tO highlight the fact that she led for 17 or so laps of the race as a woman OVER the fact that she could have won as a rookie and had a great car (but fuel tightness ultimately caused her to have to drive too conservatively) is to disrespect the driver over the woman. She's a race car driver, get over the woman part - 'cause boyz, she's the REAL DEAL! And frankly, before this season is over, I predict she will have one win - you heard it here first! But also, let's not stifle the male chauvanist in us all and say "she's kinda cute, wonder what she looks like outta that complete coverage racing suit". :)
Musing and Notes and Opinions in the world of sports:
Frank Thomas is injured in his first game back - kinda gives new meaning to the term "the big hurt".
Phoenix is DONE against the Spurs. It's only a matter of time.
So the top 2 drafts of the MLB finally ended their holdouts, the longest in history. Here's to wishing them a complete meltdown in the big leagues, the selfish little pricks...oh wait, their agent was Scotty Boras. The selfish prick.
I'm getting a bit tired of "moral victories" for the US National Soccer team. While our skill level is catching up with the rest of the world, and while we have a great and successful record under Bruce Arena, we need to beat the "men" of the world. It's time to come to the stage and perform, not just "show up and give 'em hell".
Out for now.
Oh, and amazingly enough, I haven't commented on Ricky's return to the Dolphins. If the fish had ANY guts, they'd say "hey, yanno Ricky, we sort of drafted this great runner out of Auburn, have a nice life". Looks like Ricky burned through his money a little earlier than expected. :)
What to say about Danica Patrick. WOW! What a great and promising young driver - her 4th place finish in the Indy 500 as a ROOKIE is incredible and to be applauded. But tO highlight the fact that she led for 17 or so laps of the race as a woman OVER the fact that she could have won as a rookie and had a great car (but fuel tightness ultimately caused her to have to drive too conservatively) is to disrespect the driver over the woman. She's a race car driver, get over the woman part - 'cause boyz, she's the REAL DEAL! And frankly, before this season is over, I predict she will have one win - you heard it here first! But also, let's not stifle the male chauvanist in us all and say "she's kinda cute, wonder what she looks like outta that complete coverage racing suit". :)
Musing and Notes and Opinions in the world of sports:
Frank Thomas is injured in his first game back - kinda gives new meaning to the term "the big hurt".
Phoenix is DONE against the Spurs. It's only a matter of time.
So the top 2 drafts of the MLB finally ended their holdouts, the longest in history. Here's to wishing them a complete meltdown in the big leagues, the selfish little pricks...oh wait, their agent was Scotty Boras. The selfish prick.
I'm getting a bit tired of "moral victories" for the US National Soccer team. While our skill level is catching up with the rest of the world, and while we have a great and successful record under Bruce Arena, we need to beat the "men" of the world. It's time to come to the stage and perform, not just "show up and give 'em hell".
Out for now.
5.26.2005
Stem Cells
Like Thew, I have a pretty hard time getting worked up over "destruction of stem cells = killing." I simply do not believe it is.
I understand the argument that "life begins at conception." I am even sympathetic to it. But I believe that is a political position, not a scientific or even religious one. For example, take a person who has just died. How is that clump of cells different then a blastcyst? If you said that the difference is that is can become a person or has potential to be a person, then you admit my point: it is not YET a person. Death clearly delineates when the body ceases to be person, but when does a body become a person? The body performs functions after death, so the presence of living human cells simply does not qualify.
What is not arguable is the potential stem cells have for helping others. At some point, this may be just another miracle that did not pan out, but right now, the potential impact is incredible. (I can see my grandkids [yet borne] saying, "you mean that some had to donate a kidney?")
I also don't buy the mad scientist crap. In every human endeavor, there are those who seek to exploit or profit or produce harm. That is okay. Or at least it is not a reason to stop progress.
Of course, it begs the question, if the soul of a person does not start upon conception, when does it? The heart's first beat? Self-awareness? Viability? I will not offer my opinion right now.
I will also admit the President Bush does not mean to ban research on stem cells, he is limiting federal funding for research on stem cells. I agree with this, not from a moral point of view, but from a "small government is better government" point of view. Let's face it, if the private sector does not think that stem cell research has potential (medical or economic) then there is a fair chance it does not.
I am willing to trust the capitalists on this.
I understand the argument that "life begins at conception." I am even sympathetic to it. But I believe that is a political position, not a scientific or even religious one. For example, take a person who has just died. How is that clump of cells different then a blastcyst? If you said that the difference is that is can become a person or has potential to be a person, then you admit my point: it is not YET a person. Death clearly delineates when the body ceases to be person, but when does a body become a person? The body performs functions after death, so the presence of living human cells simply does not qualify.
What is not arguable is the potential stem cells have for helping others. At some point, this may be just another miracle that did not pan out, but right now, the potential impact is incredible. (I can see my grandkids [yet borne] saying, "you mean that some had to donate a kidney?")
I also don't buy the mad scientist crap. In every human endeavor, there are those who seek to exploit or profit or produce harm. That is okay. Or at least it is not a reason to stop progress.
Of course, it begs the question, if the soul of a person does not start upon conception, when does it? The heart's first beat? Self-awareness? Viability? I will not offer my opinion right now.
I will also admit the President Bush does not mean to ban research on stem cells, he is limiting federal funding for research on stem cells. I agree with this, not from a moral point of view, but from a "small government is better government" point of view. Let's face it, if the private sector does not think that stem cell research has potential (medical or economic) then there is a fair chance it does not.
I am willing to trust the capitalists on this.
Return of the Thew!
As always, the demise of the Yankees was greatly exaggerated. Robinson Cano is shaping up nicely in his role, Jason Giambi is ummm, well, a gimp without the sauce but I admire his grit and effort, the pitching staff is now pitching the way they can. Yes, even Kevin Brown is pitching. Gadzooks people, it was only APRIL! Don't look now, but the Bronx Bombers are only 4.5 games back of the O's, in third place, only .5 games behind the Sawx. Woo Woo!
Tiger missed a cut, and the world didn't end. He was pissed, handled the miss with grace and dignity in his interview, then went off to rant and sulk and fume. He's earned it, let the man have his alone time.
Now on to the BIG stuff...
Stem cell research. I've got to admit, I'm in favor of it under certain conditions. We are talking about harvesting cells from discarded embryos left over after successful in vitro fert...so if they are going to be discarded, why not use them? With the donor's written permission perhaps?
I have to say that if my family had successful in vitro fert and they were just going to discard the embryos, then I would sign a permission slip to use them. There is SO much good that can be done with this research, I believe we should explore it. Will there be dirty abuses of the system - possibly; as a society today, if you can find a loophole to be dirty and illegal and screw people, someone generally finds it and exploits the common man. But that will be rare. Perhaps keep a few for future IVF, and donate the rest of the embryos? There is a solution, I have to admit I'm in favor of it, and have no moral ambiguity here. The cells would be harvested from a 5 day old blastocyst which, if discarded, isn't going to become a life anyway. So if they are going to be discarded or are signed away by the parents, I don't see the big deal.
Revenge of the Sith - date night with Mrs Thew coming soon.
The runaway bride - paying back upwards of $13K and is being charged with lying to authorities. Fitting. Score one for the law and common sense and accountability on this one. :)
Tiger missed a cut, and the world didn't end. He was pissed, handled the miss with grace and dignity in his interview, then went off to rant and sulk and fume. He's earned it, let the man have his alone time.
Now on to the BIG stuff...
Stem cell research. I've got to admit, I'm in favor of it under certain conditions. We are talking about harvesting cells from discarded embryos left over after successful in vitro fert...so if they are going to be discarded, why not use them? With the donor's written permission perhaps?
I have to say that if my family had successful in vitro fert and they were just going to discard the embryos, then I would sign a permission slip to use them. There is SO much good that can be done with this research, I believe we should explore it. Will there be dirty abuses of the system - possibly; as a society today, if you can find a loophole to be dirty and illegal and screw people, someone generally finds it and exploits the common man. But that will be rare. Perhaps keep a few for future IVF, and donate the rest of the embryos? There is a solution, I have to admit I'm in favor of it, and have no moral ambiguity here. The cells would be harvested from a 5 day old blastocyst which, if discarded, isn't going to become a life anyway. So if they are going to be discarded or are signed away by the parents, I don't see the big deal.
Revenge of the Sith - date night with Mrs Thew coming soon.
The runaway bride - paying back upwards of $13K and is being charged with lying to authorities. Fitting. Score one for the law and common sense and accountability on this one. :)
5.24.2005
ROTS Revisited
I should note that there are a number of scenes that are in the official script (get it at Borders or B&N), but are not in the movie. I think there are several important omissions, but they fall into two categories.
1. Senatorial Plot. Lost in the movie is the fact that Padme, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and several other Senators were plotting against the Chancellor. The introduction of Captain Antilles at the very end makes it clear that this is the start of the Rebellion of Ep. IV. Several scenes of this nature are cut.
2. Ancient Order of the Whills. The apparition of Obi-wan, Yoda and Anakin has its basis in the Ancient Order of the Whills and it is the ultimate power of the light side of the Force. At it turns out, Yoda and Obi-wan learn it from Qui-gon Jinn, who, like Obi-wan in Ep. IV, initially appears in voice form only. The later manifestation is the apparition. The power is to use the force consciously, but without a physical presence. Mastering this power allows one to be one with the Force. It also explains why Yoda and Obi-wan did not have bodies in Ep. IV and VI, but why Qui-gon (who had not yet mastered it in Ep. I) did. Most importantly, Yoda and Obi-wan become Qui-gon's apprentices in the time between Ep. II and Ep. IV.
The Shaman of the Whills and the Ancient Order of the Whills were left on the cutting room floor.
I sincerely hope Lucas adds those scenes back in the DVD version...
1. Senatorial Plot. Lost in the movie is the fact that Padme, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and several other Senators were plotting against the Chancellor. The introduction of Captain Antilles at the very end makes it clear that this is the start of the Rebellion of Ep. IV. Several scenes of this nature are cut.
2. Ancient Order of the Whills. The apparition of Obi-wan, Yoda and Anakin has its basis in the Ancient Order of the Whills and it is the ultimate power of the light side of the Force. At it turns out, Yoda and Obi-wan learn it from Qui-gon Jinn, who, like Obi-wan in Ep. IV, initially appears in voice form only. The later manifestation is the apparition. The power is to use the force consciously, but without a physical presence. Mastering this power allows one to be one with the Force. It also explains why Yoda and Obi-wan did not have bodies in Ep. IV and VI, but why Qui-gon (who had not yet mastered it in Ep. I) did. Most importantly, Yoda and Obi-wan become Qui-gon's apprentices in the time between Ep. II and Ep. IV.
The Shaman of the Whills and the Ancient Order of the Whills were left on the cutting room floor.
I sincerely hope Lucas adds those scenes back in the DVD version...
5.23.2005
Revenge of the Sith
It is unfortunate that Star Wars: Episode III will be abbreviated ROTS. My expectations were very low due to my disappointment with Ep.I and Ep.II. Oh, sure. I knew the special effects would be great and the script kitschy, but would it venture into Ep. IV and Ep. V territory?
Yes and no. (He said unequivocally.) It was certainly the best of the "First Trilogy" (Eps. I - III). It was darker, more adult. It offered more tidbits about the Jedi and Sith then either TPM or AOTC, so it satisfied my thirst for more Force info.
But the "Second Trilogy" had more soul. Not in the "Godfather of" sense, but in the sense that there was something deeper about the Force and the Jedi's life. More than my revulsion of the "virgin birth" (explained in Ep. III), was the mitachlorians. In the First Trilogy the Force and Jedi had a very eastern religion feel to them. That with study, self-discipline and introspection, anyone could become a Jedi Master. With mitachlorians, that is not the case. My M-count determines my destiny (kind of like Jedi HDL/LDL). It was as if Lucas wanted to say, in the Second Trilogy, "we are all in this together," but by the First Trilogy (with more money than God) he changed his mind. In the First Trilogy the message is "you are born into your lot in life and your fate is determined by your genes, not your ambitions."
I was generally satisfied about Lucas' tying in Ep. III and Ep. IV. The only two major inconsistencies I saw right off were Leia's Ep. VI recollection of her mother (impossible, since Padme died in childbirth) and Obi-wan's seeming ignorance of Leia as Luke's sister in Ep. V (OW: That boy is our last hope. Yoda: No, there is another.) (I will ignore the seeming complete lack of recollection of Obi-wan and Darth Vader of the droids in the Second Trilogy.)
This is not a kid's movie. The numerous dismemberments were not so bad, but the roasting of Anakin and the subsequent transformation of his burned corpse in Darth Vader was gruesome enough that you really need to understand how your <13 year old child will react. I delivered the bad news to my 8 year old this morning (he is as big a fan as I am). He was devastated, but that was not a scene for the sqeamish.
The Sfx were great. The acting was not great, but I am darn sure Hayden Christensen is a better actor then Mark Hamill ("But I was going into Toshi station to pick up some pwer converters..." Luke whiiiiines.) Enough said.
The conversion of Anakin was better done then I expected. Put aside the question of how this all powerful Jedi is such a freakin' mamma's boy, Palpatine is masterfully manipulative. After Anakin kills Dooku, he frets about the killing of an unarmed prisoner. So when Mace is about to slay Palpatine (ostensibly unarmed), Anakin feels that stopping Mace is the right thing to do. I did not see this as a fall, but rather a reluctant slide. (I do wish Lucas would have spent more time in Ep. II and III examining Anakin's "rule the galaxy" impulses. Any beef one might have with the "abruptness" of the conversion is fair, but, seriously, any further examination of Anakin's descent would have cut out those Sfx. Be reasonable.)
I also thought (I can't believe I am saying this) that Ep. III "justified" the re-conversion of Anakin in Ep. VI. Given the choice a second time, Anakin does the right thing. When I first saw Ep. VI, I was horrified that Darth Vader, the symbol of pure evil, could be turned good, but now it makes sense.
I will see it again and come back to this. I am anxious to get Thew's view, as he is not a Star Wars fan to the extent I am. Overall, I rank this behind Ep. IV and V as the third best of the series.
Yes and no. (He said unequivocally.) It was certainly the best of the "First Trilogy" (Eps. I - III). It was darker, more adult. It offered more tidbits about the Jedi and Sith then either TPM or AOTC, so it satisfied my thirst for more Force info.
But the "Second Trilogy" had more soul. Not in the "Godfather of" sense, but in the sense that there was something deeper about the Force and the Jedi's life. More than my revulsion of the "virgin birth" (explained in Ep. III), was the mitachlorians. In the First Trilogy the Force and Jedi had a very eastern religion feel to them. That with study, self-discipline and introspection, anyone could become a Jedi Master. With mitachlorians, that is not the case. My M-count determines my destiny (kind of like Jedi HDL/LDL). It was as if Lucas wanted to say, in the Second Trilogy, "we are all in this together," but by the First Trilogy (with more money than God) he changed his mind. In the First Trilogy the message is "you are born into your lot in life and your fate is determined by your genes, not your ambitions."
I was generally satisfied about Lucas' tying in Ep. III and Ep. IV. The only two major inconsistencies I saw right off were Leia's Ep. VI recollection of her mother (impossible, since Padme died in childbirth) and Obi-wan's seeming ignorance of Leia as Luke's sister in Ep. V (OW: That boy is our last hope. Yoda: No, there is another.) (I will ignore the seeming complete lack of recollection of Obi-wan and Darth Vader of the droids in the Second Trilogy.)
This is not a kid's movie. The numerous dismemberments were not so bad, but the roasting of Anakin and the subsequent transformation of his burned corpse in Darth Vader was gruesome enough that you really need to understand how your <13 year old child will react. I delivered the bad news to my 8 year old this morning (he is as big a fan as I am). He was devastated, but that was not a scene for the sqeamish.
The Sfx were great. The acting was not great, but I am darn sure Hayden Christensen is a better actor then Mark Hamill ("But I was going into Toshi station to pick up some pwer converters..." Luke whiiiiines.) Enough said.
The conversion of Anakin was better done then I expected. Put aside the question of how this all powerful Jedi is such a freakin' mamma's boy, Palpatine is masterfully manipulative. After Anakin kills Dooku, he frets about the killing of an unarmed prisoner. So when Mace is about to slay Palpatine (ostensibly unarmed), Anakin feels that stopping Mace is the right thing to do. I did not see this as a fall, but rather a reluctant slide. (I do wish Lucas would have spent more time in Ep. II and III examining Anakin's "rule the galaxy" impulses. Any beef one might have with the "abruptness" of the conversion is fair, but, seriously, any further examination of Anakin's descent would have cut out those Sfx. Be reasonable.)
I also thought (I can't believe I am saying this) that Ep. III "justified" the re-conversion of Anakin in Ep. VI. Given the choice a second time, Anakin does the right thing. When I first saw Ep. VI, I was horrified that Darth Vader, the symbol of pure evil, could be turned good, but now it makes sense.
I will see it again and come back to this. I am anxious to get Thew's view, as he is not a Star Wars fan to the extent I am. Overall, I rank this behind Ep. IV and V as the third best of the series.
My Has Time Flown
I haven't posted in a while and was taken to task by Thew over the phone. (Argh! Old technology! At least it was a cell phone.)
Ostensibly, the reason is that the Tilam clan has moved. Sure, it was within town, but packing and unpacking is the same no matter how far you travel. And the move makes Mrs. Tilam nuts. Which puts your humble servant on edge.
Tonight I plan to see the new Star Wars flick. I promise to give my opinions. My oldest wants a Star Wars birthday party and his younger brother and sister will (no doubt) want to come along. I am being selfless by interrupting my evening schedule to pre-view it. What a guy.
So, a round-up on random thoughts:
What I am reading: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
What I can't wait to see: the Dark Knight.
What I am concerned about: have there been a rash of child kidnappings?
What I am not concerned about: anything you read here.
What I am listening to: Millie Manning. (Don't bother, you can't find her. Yet.)
What makes me smile: it was only April.
See ya.
Ostensibly, the reason is that the Tilam clan has moved. Sure, it was within town, but packing and unpacking is the same no matter how far you travel. And the move makes Mrs. Tilam nuts. Which puts your humble servant on edge.
Tonight I plan to see the new Star Wars flick. I promise to give my opinions. My oldest wants a Star Wars birthday party and his younger brother and sister will (no doubt) want to come along. I am being selfless by interrupting my evening schedule to pre-view it. What a guy.
So, a round-up on random thoughts:
What I am reading: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
What I can't wait to see: the Dark Knight.
What I am concerned about: have there been a rash of child kidnappings?
What I am not concerned about: anything you read here.
What I am listening to: Millie Manning. (Don't bother, you can't find her. Yet.)
What makes me smile: it was only April.
See ya.
5.05.2005
It's a wonder they sell anything!
Best Buy. Comp USA. Circuit City. They all have crappy reputations with the computer geeks of the world (and i mean the TRUE geeks) because their salespeople don't know jack about computers - they just know enough to spout out the buzzwords, get you fired up, and close the sale. They don't HAVE to know everything, they just need to know more than YOU!
I would never have put Dell into this group - but now i have to. My gaming computer died an ugly death, it appears to be a motherboard issue. So i called Alienware to order a new computer - well, the folks at Alienware were at least honest enough to let me know that i would NOT be able to use the parts in my old custom assembled PC (DDR SDRAM, 256MB AGP graphics card, et al) in their spiffy proprietary "don't touch my stuff" computer. So i called Dell...
Well, the Dell sales asswipe says "oh SURE, you can add your RAM to our mobo!", and "of course, you can drop your AGP graphics card into our slot". DICKHEAD! It turns out that my DDR SDRAM is NOT able to be dropped into their DDR2 SDRAM slots, and my AGP card is completely and utterly NOT compatible (without a sledgehammer) with their PCIexpress graphics slot. So, after I purchased this computer with minimal specs, i found out that it must stay with those minimal specs or else i have to pay $300 or more to add the proper RAM and graphics card to make it perform even remotely close to my old one. Now, i called back and talked to the customer service folks, and they said "oh, the technical support group can ship you new hardware for free to make the computer perform better, like the old one, don't worry". The technical support team said "he's lying, we are not authorized to do that". ARGH!!! So instead, I'm returning their P.O.S. and spending $200 at NewEgg.com and purchasing a new case, mobo, and hard drive, after which I'm going to reassemble and reload my old gaming PC. AND, I'm going to reload Win2K on the comp, not piece of s**t WinXP.
Dell, you suck. Your people suck. They don't return phone calls, they LIE to make sales, they are worthless. Your customer service sucks too. AS SOON AS I CAN, I'm going to dump your piece of s**t stock too - although that might be a while because I'm losing money on it...I wonder why.
I would never have put Dell into this group - but now i have to. My gaming computer died an ugly death, it appears to be a motherboard issue. So i called Alienware to order a new computer - well, the folks at Alienware were at least honest enough to let me know that i would NOT be able to use the parts in my old custom assembled PC (DDR SDRAM, 256MB AGP graphics card, et al) in their spiffy proprietary "don't touch my stuff" computer. So i called Dell...
Well, the Dell sales asswipe says "oh SURE, you can add your RAM to our mobo!", and "of course, you can drop your AGP graphics card into our slot". DICKHEAD! It turns out that my DDR SDRAM is NOT able to be dropped into their DDR2 SDRAM slots, and my AGP card is completely and utterly NOT compatible (without a sledgehammer) with their PCIexpress graphics slot. So, after I purchased this computer with minimal specs, i found out that it must stay with those minimal specs or else i have to pay $300 or more to add the proper RAM and graphics card to make it perform even remotely close to my old one. Now, i called back and talked to the customer service folks, and they said "oh, the technical support group can ship you new hardware for free to make the computer perform better, like the old one, don't worry". The technical support team said "he's lying, we are not authorized to do that". ARGH!!! So instead, I'm returning their P.O.S. and spending $200 at NewEgg.com and purchasing a new case, mobo, and hard drive, after which I'm going to reassemble and reload my old gaming PC. AND, I'm going to reload Win2K on the comp, not piece of s**t WinXP.
Dell, you suck. Your people suck. They don't return phone calls, they LIE to make sales, they are worthless. Your customer service sucks too. AS SOON AS I CAN, I'm going to dump your piece of s**t stock too - although that might be a while because I'm losing money on it...I wonder why.
5.03.2005
Women are crazy for all the wrong reasons!
Jennifer "cold feet" Wilbanks...Welp, we found her a couple of days ago. After a frantic, hysterical 911 call during which she said she was abducted, then a recant and admission that she "got cold feet", then some more info about travelling around Vegas and New Mexico with a couple (that she met on the internet?!), she's home and meeting with authorities. They are thinking of a) pressing charges, and b) forcing her to reimburse the town of Duluth, GA for the expenses involved in her womanhunt, which took on a huge life of it's own and apparently cost up to $60,000.
A) She purchased her bus ticket a WEEK in advance, so this was fairly premeditated.
B) she called 911 and falsely reported a crime, which is a crime in and of itself, and the prosecutor of Duluth is thinking of pressing charges against her for this.
c) her fiance, the son of the ex-Duluth mayor, gave her the ring back and says the wedding is "postponed".
OMGz, they are BOTH complete idiots. First of all, she met that couple on the internet and ran off to meet them after getting cold feet - that might explain why she purchased the ticket a week before bolting. BUT, this is a high profile union, it seems, with a huge wedding party (14 maids and ushers and 600 guests), and I BET YOU A MILLION DOLLARS that if this wasn't as high profile (the ex-mayor's son and his rich little girlfriend) then we would have NEVER devoted all that time and energy and public resources to finding her. So YES, make the stupid bich pay back that money.
Yes, press charges against her like the law dictates. Just because she's marrying the ex-mayor's son that doesn't mean she is exempt from prosecution to the letter of the law. She should be arrested and do time as stipulated by law.
Now, I feel bad that she got cold feet, but this whole episode squeals of something more than just that. A premeditated bus ticket. A shady couple met on the internet. A fleeing bride the week before her wedding - a womanhunt for the bride of the high profile ex-mayor's son. A false call to 911 claiming kidnapping. Call me crazy, but I'd be a middle class normal person than a rich idiot with no common sense and all the apparently mental and emotional problems they have!
*****
NO comment on the Terrell Owens fiasco in Philly. The guy's a playa, but he's also an asshole. Stop pissing and moaning about more money, win Philly a Super Bowl THEN renegotiate your contract...
*****
On the "youth can sure be stupid" front: Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. sustained internal injuries and complained of chest pains after he was injured in a motorcycle accident, the team said Monday night. But lookie here...Beyond the injuries, there are possible financial ramifications as well, and Winslow may have given the team an opportunity to recover a portion of his signing bonus and option bonus, if he is found to be in breach of his contract. Two league sources said Monday night that Winslow's contract includes language which is even more specific and limiting, and which expressly forbids riding a motorcycle. Siiiiigh...will they every learn!?
*****
And on to my pet peeve topic of the week: young girls and their self images...my oldest daughter is having image problems - self-image, that is. And it's no wonder! The image that women, and young girls, are expected to model themselves after is ridiculously impossible. We could all look like those women on the pages of magazines if a) we never worked or went to school and spent all day in the gym and b) had a zillion dollars to spend for someone to come in and do our hair and make up each morning before we left the house, or c) never ate any food (bulimia included). Since the VAST majority of women do NOT live this idyllic life we don't look like super models or teen super stars. So, we end up hiding our true selves inside loose fitting clothing or developing eating disorders thinking that will help us attain that impossible "Perfect Image". If we all looked like the women and girls in magazines we would be useless. The world would literally grind to a halt. Why you ask? Because those women don't actually DO anything. They don't play sports and become role models for future generations; they don't usually want to bear children because they don't want to risk loosing their figures and so never get to experience the joy of being a mother. They don't become nurses or wives or doctors or business women, or teachers, or any other profession that actually contributes anything useful to society because they are so obsessed with their looks that they develop a very narrow and vain view of the world. And that view is that the only thing that matters is what they look like. What an utter waste of a life! YOung ladies would never see their own potential to be a positive person. I have friends who have young daughters/nieces and they say it is so frustrating to get them to understand that REAL beauty is not found superficially. REAL beauty is not visible, but rather found deep within a women's heart and in her soul. It is a measure of those that she loves, the lives she touches, and the contribution she makes not only to society but to her family. I hate to see a young person get lost on this path because it is truly a slippery slope and one misstep can lead to a lifetime of insecurity. The girls who are a size two with those waif looks are abnormal and not to be admired. Rather they should be pitied because they are stuck having to maintain that size and their looks and run the risk of becoming very, very sick. How do you think those girls maintain a size one? They either starve themselves or they are puking. Oh, and don't get me started on air brushing and picture altering...
A) She purchased her bus ticket a WEEK in advance, so this was fairly premeditated.
B) she called 911 and falsely reported a crime, which is a crime in and of itself, and the prosecutor of Duluth is thinking of pressing charges against her for this.
c) her fiance, the son of the ex-Duluth mayor, gave her the ring back and says the wedding is "postponed".
OMGz, they are BOTH complete idiots. First of all, she met that couple on the internet and ran off to meet them after getting cold feet - that might explain why she purchased the ticket a week before bolting. BUT, this is a high profile union, it seems, with a huge wedding party (14 maids and ushers and 600 guests), and I BET YOU A MILLION DOLLARS that if this wasn't as high profile (the ex-mayor's son and his rich little girlfriend) then we would have NEVER devoted all that time and energy and public resources to finding her. So YES, make the stupid bich pay back that money.
Yes, press charges against her like the law dictates. Just because she's marrying the ex-mayor's son that doesn't mean she is exempt from prosecution to the letter of the law. She should be arrested and do time as stipulated by law.
Now, I feel bad that she got cold feet, but this whole episode squeals of something more than just that. A premeditated bus ticket. A shady couple met on the internet. A fleeing bride the week before her wedding - a womanhunt for the bride of the high profile ex-mayor's son. A false call to 911 claiming kidnapping. Call me crazy, but I'd be a middle class normal person than a rich idiot with no common sense and all the apparently mental and emotional problems they have!
*****
NO comment on the Terrell Owens fiasco in Philly. The guy's a playa, but he's also an asshole. Stop pissing and moaning about more money, win Philly a Super Bowl THEN renegotiate your contract...
*****
On the "youth can sure be stupid" front: Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. sustained internal injuries and complained of chest pains after he was injured in a motorcycle accident, the team said Monday night. But lookie here...Beyond the injuries, there are possible financial ramifications as well, and Winslow may have given the team an opportunity to recover a portion of his signing bonus and option bonus, if he is found to be in breach of his contract. Two league sources said Monday night that Winslow's contract includes language which is even more specific and limiting, and which expressly forbids riding a motorcycle. Siiiiigh...will they every learn!?
*****
And on to my pet peeve topic of the week: young girls and their self images...my oldest daughter is having image problems - self-image, that is. And it's no wonder! The image that women, and young girls, are expected to model themselves after is ridiculously impossible. We could all look like those women on the pages of magazines if a) we never worked or went to school and spent all day in the gym and b) had a zillion dollars to spend for someone to come in and do our hair and make up each morning before we left the house, or c) never ate any food (bulimia included). Since the VAST majority of women do NOT live this idyllic life we don't look like super models or teen super stars. So, we end up hiding our true selves inside loose fitting clothing or developing eating disorders thinking that will help us attain that impossible "Perfect Image". If we all looked like the women and girls in magazines we would be useless. The world would literally grind to a halt. Why you ask? Because those women don't actually DO anything. They don't play sports and become role models for future generations; they don't usually want to bear children because they don't want to risk loosing their figures and so never get to experience the joy of being a mother. They don't become nurses or wives or doctors or business women, or teachers, or any other profession that actually contributes anything useful to society because they are so obsessed with their looks that they develop a very narrow and vain view of the world. And that view is that the only thing that matters is what they look like. What an utter waste of a life! YOung ladies would never see their own potential to be a positive person. I have friends who have young daughters/nieces and they say it is so frustrating to get them to understand that REAL beauty is not found superficially. REAL beauty is not visible, but rather found deep within a women's heart and in her soul. It is a measure of those that she loves, the lives she touches, and the contribution she makes not only to society but to her family. I hate to see a young person get lost on this path because it is truly a slippery slope and one misstep can lead to a lifetime of insecurity. The girls who are a size two with those waif looks are abnormal and not to be admired. Rather they should be pitied because they are stuck having to maintain that size and their looks and run the risk of becoming very, very sick. How do you think those girls maintain a size one? They either starve themselves or they are puking. Oh, and don't get me started on air brushing and picture altering...
4.25.2005
Young Man's Creed
Michael Barone, truly one of the brightest lights in political commentary, has a column in Real Clear Politics today about the role of religion in politics. A good commentary, but I think there is a further reason for the revival of religion he notes.
Atheism, agnosticism and secularism are young men's creeds. As the Boomers age (as it has been with every previous generation and as it will be in the future) they are becoming more religious.
I used to be relatively indifferent to the role of God in the world. For me at 24, it was hard to see. Further, with every reading of the front page of a national paper, it was certainly hard to believe in a God, or at least a benevolent God.
But when I watched my first child be born, I knew there had to be a God. It was as close to an epiphany as I could come. But with time, I saw more and appreciated that the proof of God is not in wars or famine, but in birth and in spring and in all the little things that we take for granted each day. It is a perspective I could not have at 24.
Miracles are not big things - parting of the Red Sea, the lions' den, curing the leper - they are small things - the first word of a child, the blossom of a crocus, the diversity of life on this planet. There is an interesting story of the man who walks through a field and finds a pocket watch. He knows immediately that the pocket watch is not part of "nature," but it has been made by someone or something.
The older I get, the more I believe that Earth is a pocket watch in the middle of an astral field.
Atheism, agnosticism and secularism are young men's creeds. As the Boomers age (as it has been with every previous generation and as it will be in the future) they are becoming more religious.
I used to be relatively indifferent to the role of God in the world. For me at 24, it was hard to see. Further, with every reading of the front page of a national paper, it was certainly hard to believe in a God, or at least a benevolent God.
But when I watched my first child be born, I knew there had to be a God. It was as close to an epiphany as I could come. But with time, I saw more and appreciated that the proof of God is not in wars or famine, but in birth and in spring and in all the little things that we take for granted each day. It is a perspective I could not have at 24.
Miracles are not big things - parting of the Red Sea, the lions' den, curing the leper - they are small things - the first word of a child, the blossom of a crocus, the diversity of life on this planet. There is an interesting story of the man who walks through a field and finds a pocket watch. He knows immediately that the pocket watch is not part of "nature," but it has been made by someone or something.
The older I get, the more I believe that Earth is a pocket watch in the middle of an astral field.
4.14.2005
Conclave
The subject of the Pope's death has been one that I have been thinking about a bit. It is pretty clear that he was a monumental figure in the world for the last 26 years; was instrumental in the fall of Communist Eastern Europe and Soviet Russia and left his personal mark on the Catholic Church, for better or worse. Though for the better, I think.
This is my and Thew's first time to be considered for Pope (no, we are not Cardinals, but every adult male Catholic is eligible to be Pope). I am quite sure I will not make the short list and DAMN sure Thew won't.
But I wondered, what would I do if I were Pope.
This started as an odd thought because my personal philosophy differs from the RCC in many ways: I am for a woman's (limited) right to choose; for euthanasia; for contraception; for married and female priests. But what if I were Pope? I think I would have to reassess.
JPII greatness lay in the fact that he stood for something in this world: moral goodness. He was unconcerned about the grayness and "realities" that I live day to day. (Or at least think I do.) Abortion in the case of incest or rape? No, that child is a child of God, regardless of the mechanism that begot it soul. Right to die? That is God's decision and God's decision alone.
Such clarity is enviable. And required in the Pope. And I found myself admitting that I would change my positions if I were Pope. Does that make me a hypocrite? I don't think so, but I do admit that I do not hold myself up to the standard of the Pope. But I must if I were.
John Paul was a beacon; a force for good and the absolute Rock upon which Christ built his Church. I may not agree with him from the vantage point of my mixed up muddled up 21st century suburban Boston viewpoint, but I thank God that John Paul II believed the things he did and reminded me of a higher standard.
Rest in Peace.
This is my and Thew's first time to be considered for Pope (no, we are not Cardinals, but every adult male Catholic is eligible to be Pope). I am quite sure I will not make the short list and DAMN sure Thew won't.
But I wondered, what would I do if I were Pope.
This started as an odd thought because my personal philosophy differs from the RCC in many ways: I am for a woman's (limited) right to choose; for euthanasia; for contraception; for married and female priests. But what if I were Pope? I think I would have to reassess.
JPII greatness lay in the fact that he stood for something in this world: moral goodness. He was unconcerned about the grayness and "realities" that I live day to day. (Or at least think I do.) Abortion in the case of incest or rape? No, that child is a child of God, regardless of the mechanism that begot it soul. Right to die? That is God's decision and God's decision alone.
Such clarity is enviable. And required in the Pope. And I found myself admitting that I would change my positions if I were Pope. Does that make me a hypocrite? I don't think so, but I do admit that I do not hold myself up to the standard of the Pope. But I must if I were.
John Paul was a beacon; a force for good and the absolute Rock upon which Christ built his Church. I may not agree with him from the vantage point of my mixed up muddled up 21st century suburban Boston viewpoint, but I thank God that John Paul II believed the things he did and reminded me of a higher standard.
Rest in Peace.
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