You Want to Talk About Fear?

I'm watching last night's debate this morning.

I want to take a moment to comment on one of the issues that I never identified as important but has quickly become so in this election cycle: Health Care.

I've looked it over and I'm afraid of McCain's health care plan. In debate, he keeps side-stepping the lost coverage, exclusion from coverage issue. Obama keeps suggesting (as do a number of articles I've read) that people with preexisting conditions will not be covered in the "open market." McCain's dismissal is to suggest that only people with "Gold-Plated" plans that cover insane medical proceedures might have problems. What about people like me?

I have to go to the doctor's office a lot. I have medical tests several times of the year to make sure that my symptoms aren't something else and to make certain that my medications aren't having an adverse affect on me. I regularly feel punished by our insurance company to find approved medication. Because it's so much fun skimming through the "approved medication" list with my doctor every time we want to try something new or every time they come out with a new list.

There's no way I'm getting into an open-market health care plan. There's no way I'm going to save money even with the tax credit if our premiums and deductables keep rising. (Which they are.)

I'm not saying that the Obama plan is the end-all-be-all. It's just scary because the cost of my medications would be unaffordable without health care coverage.

On a side-note: I've spent 2 weeks now on a minimal dose of Lyrica and have been seeing very positive results. So, we're going to the next level. It's very exciting.

I'm Casting My Vote for...

Baseball!

Tomorrow night at 8PM the Phillies have a chance to make it to the World Series. I am NOT switching to the debate when it comes on at 9PM. I should be able to download the debate on Hulu or iTunes anyway. Heck, I can watch MSNBC's Countdown postmortem as a PodCast if I want. Also, it's much easier to ignore specific news about the debate than it is to avoid the score of the game.

Besides, I decided to cast my vote for Obama about 18 months ago.

Bottom of the 9th

I can't stand it! Slick has gone to bed and I'm left here holding my breath. Can Lidge finish them off?

I got your drill right here

The political advertising onslaught continues here in North Carolina. Once considered to be a Republican stronghold, Elizabeth Dole is vulnerable and McCain is apparently not winning here right now either. Fingers Crossed!

Consequently 2/3 of all TV commercials seem to be political. Most fall into 3 categories: Attack ads on Kay Hagan (Democrat running against Dole), attack ads on Obama and positive, uplifting ads from Obama. Please note that there are plenty of ads attacking McCain & Dole and all sorts of politicians in-between.

It also seems like every office is up for grabs including Governor.

I've been feeling almost guilty about not paying enough attention to the Senate race. I don't like to blindly go into the booth and vote party-line. Sure, I've never done otherwise, but I like to be an "informed" voter. I believe that voting & paying taxes (zing) are my patriotic duty.

Thankfully, two very helpful organizations sent us mail today. One is "Freedom's Watch" who told me that Kay Hagan supports windfall profit taxes on oil companies & that she sides with organizations like the Sierra Club in blocking more off-shore drilling. The other is the "Associated Builders and Contractors Free Enterprise Alliance" who tells me that Dole wants to open more areas offshore & lift the moratorium on oil shale exploration.

Apparently, both organizations think that more oil drilling is good. And that more oil drilling will reduce our dependency on foreign nations. Of course, I think more oil drilling is stupid & that energy diversity will do a much better job. That's just me, a granola-eatin', Sierra Club lovin', Democrat-votin' fool.

Also, I like to read the New York Times! Gasp!

So, thanks to both of these wonderful right-leaning organizations for making me feel better when I go "all in" with the Democrats on Nov 4. Jerks!

Note: In NC, you can't "one stop shop" for a party. You must vote for president & then cast your party ticket. Otherwise, the vote for president won't count.

Thank You FOX tv

FOX television has the rights to the NLCS & the World Series. This means I will be able to watch the Phillies! As cable prices rise & wallets shrink, this is a big deal.

So, that iDad doesn't miss a game, here's the current schedule for the first 4 NLCS games. Note that game 2 starts at 4PM!

Phillies vs Dodgers

Thursday - 8PM
Friday - 4PM
Sunday - 8PM
Monday - 8PM
All times Eastern.

Remembering Karen

Posey & MrsKnew (the real power behind the throne) are participating in the Philadelphia 3-day walk for a cure in just a few weeks.

A few weeks ago, Slick and I were visiting with my inlaws and their friends at the beach. The one day everyone was sitting around watching sports and reading books when I overheard the Queen and some of her friends talking about someone they knew who has breast cancer. Sitting there, reading my book, thoughts of Karen suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to force myself to swallow the tears and keep reading.

Since then, thoughts of Karen keep hitting me. Out of nowhere I've been remembering visiting her in the hospital like it was yesterday instead of last year. I think about settling into our dorm sophomore year. I think about Karen's laughing down the hall. I think about how close we are to Halloween. I pray that we find a cure so no more families have to go without a wife and mother.

Please support your local Breast Cancer fundraisers.

Slick recently switched to Yoplait and is saving her lids.

Also, check out Army Of Women.org. It was featured on the Oct 1 broadcast of the Nightly News with Brian Williams. It's a place where healthy women can sign up to become potential breast cancer study volunteers.

As my sister is apt to say, God's peace ya'll!

Thank You Joe

I promised I wouldn't be posting more politics posts for a while, but I have to share my moment of thanks to Joe.

The setting:
Gov Palin has just evoked Dark Lord Cheney as an example for her Vice Presidency.
Me:
"Fuck this! Throw the gloves off Joe. Don't let her use Cheney as a role model. Tell the world how evil that bastard is!"
Joe:
"Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history..."
Me:
Fists pumping in the air, shouting, nearly missing the rest of his comments and getting odd amused looks from the wife.
"THANK YOU JOE!"

Indeed I was very impressed with Joe throughout the debate and could go on at length. But I just really wanted to share that moment.

Phillies Take 2-0 Lead

So, who was the MVP of the game? Was it Victorino with 3 hits and a grand slam or was it Myers with 7 beautiful innings pitched and some clutch at bats of his own? I just can't decide!

Next game on Saturday @ 6:30 at the Brewers.

NYT Article on the Crisis

Here's a phenomenal article on the events of the past few weeks. It puts everything into context. Amazingly, several of these events reminded me about worst case scenarios from training during my BFC days.

36 Hours of Alarm and Action as Crisis Spiraled

And yes, I saw the news from the Senate. I'm not sure if I should be relieved or cry.

P.S. Last economy/politics post for a while. This stuff gives me heartburn. I can't wait until Nov 4.

Yes, yes, the bail-out sucks. Still should have passed it STUPID

I know there are a lot of people on both the liberal & conservative sides who hate the idea of the Wall Street bail-out. I personally get sick to my stomach thinking about it. They fucked up, we have to pay for it. That doesn't sound right. The guy who ran WaMu for a week got over $10 million for doing what? Presiding over a major corporate collapse for a week. I'd take a few bucks, a cup of joe and some Cobra benefits for a week's work clearing out the trash for a week.

So, I will give bail-out haters their due. This just plain sucks.

No one should be surprised by Monday's global stock market dip. Tuesday's bump, thanks to bargan hunters, was great, but it didn't help the Credit market which is the real source of our issues. Eventually, things will work themselves out. Our response may help determine if things get better within the year or take a decade.

What folks are missing by actually caring about the reasons for the bail-out or by complaining about the elements of the bail-out is the harsh reality of the situation. The dullest, most back-water element to global corporate finance had a freaking asthma attack. Overnight loans between BFC's aren't happening. This has ripple effects to everything we do. They don't extend credit to each other, then companies don't loan money to us. They don't have liquidity to pay for capitol equipment or pay employees. Mortgage rates, car loans, credit cards, all this shit could feel the ripple effects. You think unemployment and foreclosures are bad now? Watch this shit drag out a few more weeks, then we'll see how those numbers look.

The bail-out is about fixing that.

And, if you don't think this is about helping "Main St" then you're wrong.

Yeah, it should never have gotten here. Yeah, this medication tastes horrible.

The longer this drags out the more concessions we will see to corporate lobbyists and conservative "deregulation" politicians. If you didn't like the plan that failed this weekend, you're probably going to HATE the one that is being proposed this week. And you'll loath whatever finally gets passed. You can't get what you really want in a Democracy. You simply have to hope that the compromise does what you need.

Meanwhile, the BFC's that survive this are going to get bigger and more powerful. Instead of correcting this imbalance between the rich and the rest of us, we're going to see it grow.

Managing Chronic Health Issues & Visiting Your Doctor

When I first become sick with my fibromyalgia condition, it was a nightmare panic. Doctors would treat various symptoms with mixed results. I was shipped from specialist to specialist, given tests after test, tried a myriad of medications (many of which compounded my health problems.) Finally, I zeroed in on a good general physician. Specialists & urgent care doctors actually recommended him for his clinical & diagnostic skills.

At first, he was just as stumped as everyone else. A young, 30-something male is a rare candidate for my condition. The diagnosis came through a series of events that I initiated by making a journal of my symptoms & sketching a diagram of my pain-centers. When my doctor looked at my sketches, I could actually see the light bulb go off. He quickly ordered a series of blood tests and a visit to a rheumatologist for a second opinion. After months of misery, I wasn't out of the woods. Heck, that diagonosis was over 2 years ago and look at me now.

Together, my doctor and I worked hard. He already had experience with fybromialgia & chronic fatigue syndrome and as evident by yesterday's visit, continues to inform himself. My job was to make hard choices about my diet, exercise more, keep track of symptoms for him & stay informed. I have spent hours upon hours reading online, wandering the stacks at my local library & even listening to audio books.

When I go to my doctor, I give him data, in writing, about my symptoms. I have a list of questions to be answered. I talk. He listens. He takes notes (often on the pages I've given him.) Somewhere mid-visit, he takes over. I don't let the visit end until I get answers to the key questions. He always gives me a plan and goals for our next visit.

This is how all doctor, patient relationships should work. This is especially true for people with chronic conditions. My doctor regularly encorages me that it's my efforts to exercise, eat right and give him data that is making the difference. His job is to support me by finding the right medications and dosages to help me get even better.

Yes, there are times when this just plain sucks. But, I continue to thank God for the people in my life who help and support me, including my Doctor. I wish more people could find that kind of doctor/patient relationship.

My Lyrica Challenge

For months now, a number of my friends and family have been asking me "have you seen the Lyrica commercials?" Every time, I politely say yes and thank them for their concern. Forgive my skepticism about commercials with middle age women talking about their fybromyalgia pain.

More than the inability to work, I've struggled with that irrational discomfort about having a "woman's condition." (That's not me being sexist, that's me being honest.) Men represent a small portion of known fybro sufferers. In the past, the few studies that included men also showed little to no help for men from the typical medications. And when it originally came out, I thought saw an article suggesting that Lyrica was in that category as well.

Today during my six month check-up, my doctor told me some exciting news. He found a study that specifically targeted men with fybro. The results are apparently encouraging enough for us to try it. He warned me that the initial side-effects can be rough and we're starting on a low dosage. I suppose the "high" feeling could be fun, but I don't like the idea of blurry vision. The big thing is that I'm not supposed to drive for a few days. (Luckily, all the gas stations in town are out of gas anyway.)

I'll report back after my follow-up visit next month.

It's just very encouraging to have a doctor that actually reads medical journals with you in mind.

Running On Empty

Today on our daily walk, we saw a fresh tanker truck at the station down the road. By the time we passed the station again on our loop, there were already 20 cars in line to get gas. Last week, our area got 1/2 of it's usual supply of gas. News reports suggest that it could take days (or weeks) before new shipments make up for the missed supplies.

We're making due and thus far it's more annoying that a problem. We skipped our planned weekend errands and trip to the outlets. Slick will simply have to pick up groceries on the way home from work. It's going to be nice this week, so I can walk to the bank, & the doctor's office.

Eventually, I'll need to put gas in at least one of the cars. Eventually, I need to go to Sears to get a new belt for the broken vacuum. Until then, we simply have to ignore the build-up of dog hair.

I can't imagine what some of my neighbors who work in Charlotte are doing. I've also wondered how my neighbor the landscaper is handling this. All and all, it's just one more reason to be glad I don't have my 30 mile commute anymore.

A Few Opinions About the Bailout

Instead of reading my rants about the bailout or waiting for NothingKnew to get home to tell us why I'm wrong, here are a few opinion pieces from actual economists. They don't all agree with me, but they all agree that it's a problem.

Where Are the Grown-Ups - Paul Krugman, NYT Op-Ed

The $700 Billion Question - NYT Op-Ed

What is the Money Even For? - Daily Kos

Main Street Needs the Treasury Plan - WSJ Op-Ed
Note: this was written by Kenneth Lewis, CEO of BoA. So, grain of salt with it.

Robert Reich has a number of reservations about the bailout and makes a number of good points in the last several posts in his blog.

There's a lot of panicky sky is falling crap being said and my last post has that same feel. This isn't 1929. Evoking the ghost of the Great Depression perhaps only serves to stir the pot. Still, it is unnerving that we have gotten to this point.

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Torn

William Buffet believes that this current Wall Street Meltdown is bad and is expecting a government bail-out. Robert Reich hates the proposal, but seems to be begrudgingly accepting it. He hopes that there will be REAL restrictions and safeguards placed on the deal. I'm not holding my breath. I keep reading, dumbstruck, as Nancy Pelosi & Prez Bush are fighting for the bail-out while conservative house Republicans work to block the deal. Did hell freeze over and I missed it?

I've studied enough macro-economics to know that I don't know shit. Most people understand less. I do see all this as a domino effect that started years ago. My economic position is almost entirely informed by the Jack Bogle conservative philosophy of diversification. Risk comes in many forms. You can be too aggressive and too timid. A happy middle which matches your needs is almost always the way to go. Unfortunately, our economy has been way too agressive for way too long.

So, now what? Now, agressive action is needed. At one extreme, We the People can bail-out Wall Street. On the other hand, we can let them sink. Either way, we're going to feel this for years, perhaps decades to come.

All of this is coming in the face of an impending Presidential Election. I'm tempted to be excited that this situation hurts McCain. We got into this mess with deregulation & agressive protections for corporations. These are core elements to McCain's fiscal policy. That temptation quickly gives way to the sick feeling in my stomach that people are hurting, that my family and friends could be hurting, that this could hurt me!

It makes me even more sick to my stomach that I've got to support the bail-out. We need to get done and done quickly. Not because it was or is the best long-term solution, but because the market expects and demands it. The mood of the market will suffer long-term effects from this falling through at this point. It would also be yet another bad sign for the American people. We are already suspicious of the ability for our politicians to get things done. If they can't come to a compromise and complete this thing, where are we then?

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The 70's Gas Crisis? I Don't Remember That

Long lines at gas stations! Overly inflated prices! Rationing! Police directing traffic! Dozens of stations without gas! Canceling weekend plans to save gas to get to work! I'm not actually talking about the 70's. I'm talking about this week in the Charlotte region.

We've got a quarter tank in both vehicles now, which theoretically gets Slick to work all next week. So, we're conserving and hoping to catch a break. Stations have lines with cops. You can't pump more than 10 gallons & by the afternoon all the pumps are covered and empty.

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Meanwhile in Baseball

In case you are missing it...

With 5-6 games left in the season, the Phillies & Mets are in an epic struggle (too bad they don't play each other) for their division and the wild-card slot. If both teams play hard and win games, either could be the winner. But if either team falters, one of them could be knocked completely out of the playoffs by the struggling Milwaukee Brewers. This is September baseball. Go find a TV, radio, something! Don't walk, RUN!

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Because My In-Laws Are Cooler Than Your In-Laws

Well, we're back from vacation with Slick's parents & their gaggle of retired teacher, baby-boomer friends. And look what the Queen left on our dresser on the first night...


That's right, it's a genuine Chase Utley bobble-head from some random fan night at Citizen's Bank Park. I'm not sure if we're unpacking it or not. It's definitely going on our Philadelphia Sport's Fan Shelf.

The week at OBX was spectacular. The house had an "ocean view" and a hot tub. The dogs (all 4 of them) liked to run around on the 3rd-floor deck barking at things. I even went in the ocean a few times (as did my dog.) The most amusing thing about the week was the laptops. Each couple had one and they used them like seasoned geeks. It was a reminder that you can teach retired teachers new tricks.

I planned to read a lot, but had some false starts with my reading choices: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett & War of the Worlds by HG Wells. Instead I started two other books which are both very good. The first is The Shack by William P Young. It's good, really good, but way too serious for beach-reading. So, I picked up a novel called God's Spy by Juan Gomez-Jurado. God's Spy is a thriller involving a detective chasing a serial killer in Rome who's killing off Cardinals at the Vatican during the conclave to select the successor for Pope John Paul II. Both books are really good and I'm extremely torn now that I'm home. Do I continue with my deep, spiritual journey at the Shack or do I find out if there's another dead Bishop on the landing?

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Away

Slick and I are about to make our second & last vacation trip of the year before Christmas. Oddly, it's back to OBX. Her parents and their friends have an extra room for the week and invited us to stay in it. Slick's aunt & uncle will be there. We don't get to see them for years at a time, so we're looking forward to it. The dog is also coming with us and the weather should permit me to take him in the ocean a bit. He doesn't really like to swim, but he loves romping in the waves.

We'll have internet access, but I plan to be having too much fun to post!

I'll be back in a week with more political commentary, tech reviews & general obnoxiousness. First on the agenda (after OBX pictures) will be my internal debate about asking for a new 4th-Gen iPod Nano for my Birthday/Christmas.

Today

Remember. Pray. Strive. Love.

Fall TV

Over the last few days, NothingKnew & Cats both expressed confusion about the Fall TV line-up. As luck would have it, I've been making a list. So, here it is. It's not everything. I don't have cable nor do I like "reality" TV.

Sundays
8PM Football NBC 36.1

Mondays
8PM - 18.1 - Terminator (Premiere 9/8)
9PM - 36.1 - Heroes (Premiere Sept 22 - 8PM 3hours)
10PM - 36.1 - My Own Worst Enemy (Premiere 10/13)

Tuesdays
8PM - 3.1 - NCIS (9/19)
9PM - 18.1 - Fringe (Premiere 9/9 - 8PM ~2hours)

Wednesdays
8PM - 36.1 - Bones (9/10)
9PM - 3.1 - Criminal Minds (9/20)

Thursdays
8PM - 46.1 - Smallville (Premier 9/28)
9PM - 3.1 - CSI (Premiere 10/9)

Fridays
8PM - 36.1 - Crusoe (Premier 10/17 8PM 2hours actual time?)
10PM - 3.1 - Numbers (9/22)

And yes, I noticed my apparent fascination with investigation dramas. But, it seems like all of TV is now these reality game shows or CSI/L&O shows.

Why The Sarah Connor Chronicles Are Worse Than Star Trek Voyager

Every week Cameron gets more beat up than Voyager ever did. Yet, every week she fit and polished from stem to stern. At least Voyager reasonably tried to answer this issue with the old "mine enough fuel from that planet and we can replicate a new bulk-head" strategy. Voyager even had the "Year from Hell" episodes. Granted they all went through yet another temporal anomaly so everyone (with speaking parts) lived. But I digress...

...Well actually, I have no point. Although, I could take this moment to be a complete dork and tell you that Seven of Nine would totally kick Cameron's ass! I won't, but I could.

This is the moment when NothingKnew finds this exact senerio on the web under Rule #34 only involving jello.

Sigh! Someone, anyone (J.M.S., Whedon, JJ, Ron Moore) save us from this wasteland of bland network SciFi. Actually, rumors are that Heroes will recapture some of it's season 1 magic. I won't hold my breath.

Packaging

Did you know that many town recycling programs will also take your cereal & cracker boxes? More and more of our food waste is renewable in some way. Heck, if it weren't for the fear of ID theft most of that junk mail could be tossed into the recycling. My town will take #1 & 2 plastic, newspapers, office paper & non-corrugated cardboard. Slick and I have been using recycled cloth grocery bags for about a year now and they work great.

This leaves out the dreaded #5 plastic (including most bottle caps), plastic bags & most of the boxes from Amazon.com. So, what to do?

We've cut out plastic bag use by 70-80%. I try to refuse bags at retail stores for small, easy to carry items. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to carry produce without little plastic bags. I've also noticed that many disposable containers (cherry tomatoes, hummus) are #5 plastic. This got me thinking about packaging. Do people ever consider the packaging in a purchase? Should we?

I may give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Attention Netflix Online Users

Do not install Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2!

While I prefer using FireFox for most of my web browsing, Netflix requires IE6 or better. I've seen some good things about improved speeds and features of IE8 over IE7, so I downloaded it today. Unfortunately, Netflix is not yet compatible with IE8. I'm in the process of backtracking to IE7 now. Sigh!

Hopefully, I've spared someone a headache.

Reasons for My Vote On Nov 4

I have several friends (some of whom read this blog) who are Republicans, Conservatives, have Military backgrounds, or are generally not as left-leaning as I am.  I've taken a number of shots here and other places against McCain & Palin.  My concern is that this kind of behavior is rampant & easy.  It's also the same standard politics we've been seeing.  So, I thought it would be good for me to outline several of the reasons for my decision in a (hopefully) positive way.

The Environment & Energy Issues

While I might not be as "green" as I'd like to be, I strive every day to lessen my personal footprint & to encourage better energy management.  My wife and I recycle, replace dead light bulbs with energy efficient ones, consider energy efficiency in our vehicle choices, compost, etc...

I am opposed to opening new areas for off-shore drilling.  I do not see this as anything but a political ploy and a greedy grab by big oil.  We can be energy efficient, reduce our foreign oil dependency & live greener by expanding our efforts in alternative fuels and recycling.  

Economy

I watched for eight years as the 'Liberal' Bill Clinton worked to create a leaner, fiscally conservative government and then watched for seven more years as Bush's leadership created more and more unfunded mandates.  The idea of tax-cut and spend makes absolutely no sense to me.  It's like living on credit cards and it looks like just like the Voodoo Economics of the 80's.  I have read Obama's tax-plan.  I see no problem with changing the tax-structure to help the middle-class backbone of America & increasing taxes to the top 1% to cover it.  I would very much like to see us return to the fiscal policies of wise and deliberate use of our resources to improve infrastructure, help our least fortunate & manage our military resources.

The War

I am deeply concerned with the process of 'Stop-Loss' and the state of our Veteran's affairs.   I don't see how we can afford this continued conflict and it's cost in people, resources & money.  Even if 'the Surge' has worked, it's a last-ditch effort compounded upon a series of ill-conceived failed efforts.  Obama's opposition to the war is well-documented.  John McCain's maverick image aside, his alliance to the current Administration's policies must be questioned as being more of the same.  

I have always considered myself a pro-military democrat.  For the sake of our military, I want us out of this conflict.

Social Issues

As the proud son of two parents who have waged hard-fought battles for the needs of the inner city, victims of AIDS, sheltered homeless & supported minority rights for their entire lives, I will align myself with a man who started out as a community organizer.  For me it's a matter of faith & a moral imperative.  

I am a firm supporter in a woman's right to choose & in the rights of all Americans to receive equal protections under the law.  I know full-well that the next administration will pick as many as four Supreme Court Justices.  I want to see a high court that protects Roe v Wade but that also creates a balance between the ideologies.    

Conclusion

There you have it.  I think these points make it obvious why I'm voting Obama without focusing on all the crap in the news.  

The Last Word by Anna Quindlen

Every now and then I stumble of a commentary that just gets it. This one is worth clicking the link. As the son of a 'feminist,' I have been nurtured to respect women, question authority, and rally against hypocrisy. The choice of Palin has really gotten under my skin. I've found my inability to properly articulate my frustrations lacking. Anna Quindlen has done it for me.

Everything I've been trying to say about the Republican VP choice is right here:

Can you say 'Sexist'?

Weekend

My Uncle is visiting this weekend.  It's been great.  I've used it as an excuse to cook & sight-see.  

Thursday night, was a grill-extravaganza.  I setup the webber kettle for indirect grilling and made some scallops wrapped in bacon, along with some jumbo shrimp, veggie screwers, and a mixed green salad with roasted picans & blue cheese.  I severed a bottle of Hogue Pinot Grigio.  I was a bit surprised when I realized it had a screw-cap.  After quickly reminding myself that I'm NOT a wine snob, I poured it and served it to my wife & uncle.  They said it was very good.  I can't be sure since my current medication keeps me from drinking.  C'est la vie!  

We finished off the evening playing some cards and then catching the 2nd half of the Giants vs Washington game.   Uncle and I watched about half of the McCain speech after the game.  We worked hard to be respectful, but one of us started arguing with the screen and that had us both cracking up.  He gave up and went to bed soon after.  

Friday was even more laid back.  Uncle and I hung out at breakfast and he joined me on the dog walk.  We went to the local Bridge & Rail Restaurant for some Carolina BBQ sandwiches at lunch, chatted in our seats for a while.  I only once politely reminded him that we're in a heavily republican town, but then I made my own "evil republicans" comment just after that.  "Check Please!"  

Not to be outdone by the previous night's meal, I severed in several stages.  First we had the fire-roasted bruschetta on french baguettes.  While they sipped their wine and ate their bruschette, I finished grilling the peaces for the grilled peach & mixed green salad with roasted picans & blue cheese all dressed with balsalmic & expensive olive oil.  The meal was finished off with locally grown sweetpotatoes & personal-sized cuts of london broil lightly seasoned with Lone Star Steak Rub (from my BBQ Bible book.)  We finished this meal off in our "theater room" watching "Stranger than Fiction."  Which, I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Saturday, Slick made her weekend low-fat scone recipy.  We drank out tea & coffee and talked about the days activities.  Those activities would see us driving to "Uptown" Charlotte.  We ate at Ri Ra's Irish Pub and then went to see the Pom Peii exhibit.  The exhibit did not blow my socks off the way that the Dead Sea Scrolls did, but it was impressive and I am glad I went.  

Tonight, I made a simple terriaki chicken served with rice & lightly saute' veggies.  We then went and watched "Croching Tiger Hidden Dragon."  Uncle hadn't seen it before.  Slick and I can aways rewatch it.  

Tomorrow is football day.  We' having a late brunch and then snacks all day while watching back-to-back football.  Chips & nice salsa, cheese & crackers,  fruit & veggies for dipping, and finally grilled wings.  I've got seasoning for spicy, jerk, bbq & lemon pepper wings.  

Good food, sports, movies, history museums, more good food.  It's the perfect weekend. 

Hypocrisy. Double-standards. Unfairness.

This is a response of sorts to NothingKnew's latest post about the Republican VP Nominee's Choices.

During the Clinton years, the Republican party mastered the art of character assassination and used an any means necessary approach to destroying Clinton's reputation. When "they" took party, Bush admonished Politics of Personal Destruction even though those were the politics that got him into the White House. Note: Dirty politics and personal attacks are not unique to this era or solely the purview of the Republican party. They just did it with astounding skill.

Now we find potential personal flaws in Gov Palin. Should these family matters be part of the conversation? Even Obama spoke out the press on this one. He wants family off-limits. Can you blame him?

So, what do We the People do? Does family matter? Do personal decisions matter? How far do we look at private character in a public official? Promiscuity is considered a career killer in American politics. Tax evasion, traffic citations, and even the type of cheese put on a cheese steak matter to voters. So what about parenting? How many screwed up kids can a politician have before it matters?

But for me the problem boils down to the perception of hypocrisy & unfairness. The Religious Right feel like hypocrites to me. The Republican party is the party that impeached Clinton for Oral Sex and hounded him for White Water yet Larry Craig & Ted Stevens are still in office. They are also the party that regularly denied global warming and kept CAFE standards from rising.

I could go on, but my point will get lost.

The Democrat base is angry (but not angry enough.) Liberals are frustrated that the "political" moral high-ground was essentially stolen from them. We don't want to stoop to "their" level, but we don't want to keep losing either. It's just plain unfair!

So, we must absolutely NOT attack Gov Palin for her daughter. Nor should we allow baseless and cruel internet rumors smear anyone even if we don't want them to win. Yes, at the same time, Nothing Knew is onto something here. And it's a bit of a catch-22. We can't attack Gov Palin's family but we unfortunately should look at it and discern if her family life and personal decisions are indicative of our political character. If a politician holds themselves up as some sort of moral authority, then they must be held to that standard.

We also need to be mindful of the apparent & frightening lack of vetting by the McCain camp. Do we really want 4 more years of leadership that simply goes with their gut? It's fine if Gov Palin was about consensus & compromise. It's not cool if after months of time to search, they suddenly grabbed her at the last moment as the article suggests. How is that experienced leadership? Sure Biden was a dull choice & has his image problems, but he's a known quantity and he's not one for hiding his skeletons. (He'd rather air all his problems to the press in DEL.)

End Note: I still want to give a thumbs up to McCain & the Republican party for the way they handled the Convention in light of Gustav. It was the right thing to do and it was smart politics. Pray for the people of Louisiana, especially those hurt by this latest storm.

Mmmm...Grilled Peaches

A while back I posted that I would share ideas and recipes. Here's something I threw together for tonight. The meal itself took all of 20 minutes to prepare. It looks and sounds complicated, but it took longer to preheat the grill than it did to actually make it. Dessert? Usually not. But since it's a nice long holiday weekend, Slick is baking something she saw in Cooking Light.

Grilled Blackened Salmon & Grilled Peach Salad
w/ Grilled Pita Bread

Grilled Salmon
- Salmon
- Blackened Old Bay Seasoning
- Cooking Spray
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The salmon is easy. Just coat it with Blackened Old Bay seasoning & olive oil spray. Grilled on med-high for about 3-4 min a side. I poured a little of the really good olive oil on it to serve.

Peach Salad
- Peach (barely ripe)
- Field Greens
- Peppers
- Onions
- Diced Ham (or Bacon/Prosciutto)
- Crumbled Blue Cheese
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
To make the salad take a barely ripe peach, cut it into slices, spray with cooking spray and grill for about 3 min a side. Flip carefully with tongs to preserve grill marks. Toss field greens & vegetables with the olive oil & vinegar. Place warm peaches on top and "season" with the blue cheese & bacon. (I used leftover bits from a BBQ ham-steak.)

Grilled Pita
Coat Pita with cooking spray & season with garlic powered. Grill!

Spider Plant Babies

Today, we "rescued" a few of our plants from various corners of the house. They were out of sight out of mind. I re-potted several of them for Slick. We then moved all these forgotten plants to a nice sunny spot in the greatroom where we will hopefully notice them more. We had one "fatality." A fern my mother gave us when we got married. I carefully pruned and re-potted the good sections in fresh soil, but I fear it's not long for this world.

The big surprise was the vine which we named Bernie (long story.) It was bursting at it's pot. I literally had to destroy the pot to re-plant it. That plant has been with us since our apartment 10 years ago.

The other thing we did was to take about 6 more babies off the spider plant. Damn thing doesn't look like a plant anymore, just a baby factory. You can see the recently potted baby and most of the six other babies in water hopefully getting their roots. The tradition is to give most of them away once they are potted, so hopefully we'll find a good home for them all.

I'm seriously considering getting some kind of shelf (like a baker's rack) and putting it in front of the window so we can make a nice indoor garden.

McVP

Newly featured on the McCain Dollar menu is McVP. Pobble expressed her general enthusiasms about the historic nature of these elections. And she's right to call people to task about this being a "stunt" by the McCain camp. Of course the selection of both VP candidates is about political manuvering. And no, I don't think this is a knee-jerk reaction or a shake-up. Repeat: It's not a "stunt." No, this is shrewd politics. And say what you will but the Republican party has cornered that market for the last decade or so. It's not about right or wrong it's about winning.

For whatever reason, there appears (and not just because the media tells us) to be a large block of Clinton supporters who don't want to vote for Obama. Is it a gender thing? A race thing? Not sure. Still, make no mistake. This is a direct shot at the Democratic base & the undecided Clinton supporters.

As for the VP candidates themselves, I'm completely and honestly unimpressed with both of them. Rarely* have I seen a VP who's so completely worthless that they can't handle the position of back-up QB & deadlock-vote maker.

Growing up in Philly, my opinion of Biden has basically always been that he's got diarrhea of the mouth. Sure his politics are spot on, but he's also been around long enough to put his foot in his mouth a few times. I'm glad he's not actually running for president. I've already been forced to pull the lever for Kerry and we all know how that turned out.

Palin's another matter. I didn't know squat about her. The news broke and I really did ask, "WHO?" Thankfully, the news told me she's Alaska's Govenor. Whew! What I do know is that her experience makes Obama look like a seasoned veteran. Sure, Alaska's big, but who the hell lives there? She's anti-abortion & a card-carrying member of the NRA. These two facts are the ones that should be repeated to any and all of your liberal friends. And this is no shot on hunters. I have family who hunts. I love venison! The press has already spoken about her using terms that I find derogatory. Don't believe me? Read this quote from MSNBC:

She was described by the Anchorage Press as "a small-town, angel-faced mother of four, an avid hunter and a fisher with a killer smile who wears designer glasses and heels, and hair like modern sculpture, who's taking it to the boys ever so softly."

Yes, because heels are an excellent accessory to an Orange vest & a huntin' rifle.

Sigh! We finally have a woman this close to the White House, she's a fucking conservative and the press is telling me about her heels. But America is doing well?

Canada anyone? Anyone?

Please win Mr Obama! Please!

*Note: Rare exceptions include Darth Cheney & Aaron "Deadshot" Burr.

A Dozen You Say?

This is a special post for my sister Cats & her Hubby to commemorate Monday, September 1st. What better way to celebrate than with a movie marathon? So, go grab a dozen donuts & a pair of six-packs and settle in.

Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) - Start with this family flick just in case you haven't yet pawned the kids off on Mom & Dad. Why yes, it sucked. But it fits the theme! Seriously, I would have snipped something off after the first 4 or 5. Oy!

The Dirty Dozen (1967) - Now we're talkin'. Remember this movie makes grown men cry.*

12 Angry Men (1957) - You've watched a bad family flick & a good old-fashioned war movie. Now it's time for serious. And who's more serious than Juror #8 (Henry Fonda?)

Ocean's Twelve (2004) - Maybe not as good as Ocean's 11, but who cares. It's got Brad Pitt & Catherine Zeta-Jones. Something for everyone!

Twelfth Night (1996) - Cross dressing & Shakespeare? Don't worry, it's a comedy. Someone's got to be alive at the end. ;-)

Twelve Monkeys (1995) - No, I'm not crazy! If you can survive 12 years of marriage and this movie marathon, clearly you can handle a mentally insane guy from the future. Granted you've only been eating donuts and drinking beer all day. Oh well...

* From Sleepless In Seattle:
Sam Baldwin: Well I'm not looking for a mail-order bride! I just want somebody I can have a decent conversation with over dinner. Without it falling down into weepy tears over some movie!
Greg: She's, as you just saw, very emotional.
Sam Baldwin: Although I cried at the end of "the Dirty Dozen."
Greg: Who didn't?
Sam Baldwin: Jim Brown was throwing these hand grenades down these airshafts. And Richard Jaeckel and Lee Marvin
[Begins to cry]
Sam Baldwin: were sitting on top of this armored personnel carrier, dressed up like Nazis...
Greg: [Crying too] Stop, stop!
Sam Baldwin: And Trini Lopez...
Greg: Yes, Trini Lopez!
Sam Baldwin: He busted his neck while they were parachuting down behind the Nazi lines...
Greg: Stop.
Sam Baldwin: And Richard Jaeckel - at the beginning he had on this shiny helmet...
Greg: [Crying harder] Please no more. Oh God! I loved that movie.

GAAAAHHHHHH NOOOOOO!!!!

Sorry, perhaps the title is a bit excessive, but the little snorkel rod from the foam maker on the espresso machine flew into the air, bounced end over end TWICE and slid down the ventilation shaft in the kitchen. Poof! Gone! Also, the inside of the duct work in the kitchen is disgusting. But more importantly, it's gone! What do I do?!? I am not sticking my arm in there! Maybe if Slick brings home rubber gloves from work and I put on an old long-sleeved t-shirt.

At least it happened AFTER I frothed the milk for my cafe'.

So very sad! I wanted to cry. Thankfully, the comical nature of the bounce & the pregnant moment when I thought "NOooooo!!!" made me laugh at myself. Because, life is better in slow-mo.

Appaloosa

A few weeks ago, I picked up a book at the library called "Resolution" by Robert B Parker. It was on the new fiction shelf and looked like a fast read. It's a western. I've never read a western, but I love watching them.

The book itself read fast. I cut into it in one evening. The shooting, swearing & whiskey sipping all starts in chapter one. The characters were unabashedly crude and the backdrop included strong stereotyping of the American Frontier and the people in it. The effect of this over-play of the racism, sexism & general lack of morality was potent. Instead of forcing me to recoil in disgust, I felt drawn to the characters.

The protagonist, a gun-fighter named Everett Hitch, kills a man early and does so to establish order in a bar. Soon, he's joined by his friend and mentor, Virgil Cole. Together they wrestle with a town and fight just about everyone in it. Yes, I know, completely unoriginal plot. Who cares? I'm here for the gun fight!

Throughout the book, they hark back to a place called Appaloosa. Appaloosa was the town of their first adventures together. That night, after finishing the book, I was online at a movie trailer site and noticed that Appaloosa is being made into a movie. I watched the trailer with Ed Harris (Virgil) & Viggo Mortensen (Everett) and was pleased by how quickly the characters in my head melded into them. The next day, I went to the library and got a copy of Appaloosa (the book.)

It was equally as fun as Resolution and read equally as fast. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed both. You can feel Ed Harris as Virgil already. This made the character come alive for me.

If the movie adaptation equals the book, then it'll be a great western. And in case you're wondering, here's three examples of what I consider to be great westerns:

Silverado (1985) - Best Western ever and one of my favorite movies of all time. With Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover & a very young Kevin Costner.

Unforgiven (1992) - Dark and gritty cowboy movie. Did for westerns what Dark Knight may have done for superhero movies. With Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman & Morgan Freeman

Rio Bravo (1959) - Classic John Wayne western. Essentially redone as El Dorado (1966) also with John Wayne. Not sure which I liked more. With John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson (yes really) and Angie Dickinson

Hey McCain, Roll Initiative!

This was reported to me today by my friend Avouz. Apparently, "McCainite" Michael Goldfarb said,

It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman's memory of war from the comfort of mom's basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered on behalf of others.

You can check out more by clicking +2 for Hope and following some of the links. My friends and I are somewhat insulted but mostly amused by the whole thing. Gamers are some of the most open-minded and diverse groups of people I know. I personally am very respectful of McCain's military service and have studied a bit about it.

Besides, my mom's basement is over 500 miles away & kinda musty.

A Good Week

I'm declaring this a good week. I know there's 2 days left and a lot can happen, but screw it. It's been a good week. I've been "fog" free & my body aches have all been manageable. I've been accomplishing stuff including that big HVAC repair in my attic on Tuesday. And my recovery time from such projects has been great. On Tuesday, we even walked the mile into town and had dinner.

And Now A Few Words About The Works of Jason Statham

The other day my sister and I admitted to being unwitting victims of a Jason Statham movie. We laughed at our misfortune, bad taste & the overwhelming horror of Mr Statham's career. Why? How? What idiot keeps making these films? (Well, Lionsgate is the usual culprit.) With the imminent release of Death Race (Remake of the cult-classic Death Race 2000) I thought it was my duty to do a public service announcement. I implore you to avoid Jason Statham movies!

Our trouble began with a small 2002 hit known as the Transporter. It was a fun ride with great stunts, fun (but formulaic) plot & a Hong Kong action feel. Statham was perfect. He exuded strength, sexuality, and presence onscreen. He had a British Bruce Willis feel.

The Transporter was followed up by a role in the 2003 remake of the Italian Job. He was perfectly type-cast as Handsome Rob the getaway driver & lady's man. The movie was good, fun & was one big minicooper ad.

Statham, unfortunately, had arrived. He's made several movies since. And most are in the running for the worst film I've ever seen. I appeal to you to avoid his movies (except the for the ones above) at all costs. Do not be sucked in by Crank or In the Name of the King. These films blow the most amazing chunks that they make Highlander 2 (which I actively forget exists) look like academy award material. Statham's fall may make the collective works of Jean-Claude Van Damme look like masterpiece theater. And Van Damme made Street Fighter! Street Fighter!

Avoid Statham. Think of the Children!

Suppostions of Faith vs Scientific Theory

Everyday after exercising, I take time to scan a variety of news sources. This morning I saw the following video link, No Credit for Creationism. The crux of it is that Christian colleges are teaching religious elements in their science classrooms and California isn't accepting those credits state-wide. One of the interviewed students commented that they are being taught the range of theories including intelligent design & evolution. The news story painted a picture of these colleges & their students as victims of the rules. Sigh! So much for objective journalism. (Not that it really exists.)

I admit bias in this situation. I admit that I find it difficult to look upon the purveyors of Creationism as anything but perversion of the Christian ideal & of rational scientific methodology. But then, this is my blog. But, I digress...

Creationism & it's twisted-sister known as intelligent design are disagreeable theology at best. The moment someone, for whatever reason, points at something and says, "God did that!" it is no longer science. Faith is a wonderful and beautiful thing. It's not science.

I do not believe in Evolution. Rather, I consider it the current scientific theory that best answers the scientific question of life on earth. Any argument that survival of the fittest or evolutionary divergence points to or away from God is a matter of faith and not science.

Science is not immoral. Science is amoral. There are those who would have you believe that this is not true. We all know the argument against Evolution. It does not point to God. It can be used as an argument against God's existence. It does not conform to a strict interpretation of the Bible. Intelligent design is the insidious response. Life is too amazing to have been an accident, therefore it points to a designer. We are told to "believe" that this is science. Rational thought? Perhaps. A matter of faith? Most definitely.

I believe, as a matter of faith, the core concept. God did make us. Evolution, creation, everything belongs to God. That may be it's most insidious part. Reasonable people of faith can not disagree with the core concept. When I attack - as I am now - Intelligent Design, it's supporters can call me anti-Christian. When I say that it has no place in a science classroom, it's supporters can also call me bias. And so, I become sad and embarrassed.

I am sad because both the faith I love & the science I studied are both being subverted. I'm embarrassed because it's not happening in some communist country or some oppressive middle-east nation, but here in our supposedly great nation.

Exactly

John Kovalic author of the web-comic Dork Tower has successfully explained Olympic fever.

Dork Tower for Wed, Aug 13th

And yes, I'm still "suffering" from it. I even have the end of the women's individual all-around gymnastics final on my DVR. I just have to not look at any news until I have a chance to watch it.

And Now A Sports-gasm

At this moment, I'm watching video streaming of Germany vs Spain in Men's Olympic Basketball, Phillies vs Dodgers on MLB.com & using my tuner-card to watch the NBC prime-time Olympic coverage. I'm doing this all on one computer. The audio from 3 sporting events is less overwhelming than you might think. There's also not a lot screen space. Don't believe me? I've got a picture!

I was certain the system would crash when I loaded this picture from the camera. It didn't, but I think my brain is getting a bit overloaded.

Catching Up On XKCD After Vacation

Always remember to use the "prev" function on XKCD when you come home from vacation. Otherwise, you can miss great moments of blasphemy.

XKCD, it's not just a web comic, it's cathartic.

FYI - Hawaii is in the USA

Hawaii is our 50th State! It's not some foreign country. When someone grows up in Hawaii or lives in Hawaii or vacations in Hawaii, they do so in the United States of America and thus have American "roots." Yes, it's a beautiful place. Yeah, it's in the middle of the ocean. It's still American soil!

Are we clear? I could totally go on about the inherent racism, jingoism & all around stupidity of people...You know what, forget it! The heads of all the Native American Tribes called. They want their land back. Everyone pack up you shit and go "home."

I hear I might be a distant relation to the chancellor of Germany. Think she'd let me sleep on the couch?

Signal Boost

I returned home this week to a horrendous case of Olympic fever. The only problem was that I was having problems with the reception to our NBC station. Digital signals are interesting. They don't get fuzzy like analog. Instead they have 3 phases: Perfect, Spotty & None. Due to a number of factors (mostly distance & antenna location) I deal with a lot of spotty signal performance. So, I did a bunch of research yesterday to determine if I could boost my reception OR if it was time to admit that I needed an outdoor antenna.

The short of the story is that I dramatically improved the reception to all 10 of my local stations by simply moving my little indoor antenna into the attic. I used the existing hole for my network cable. I can tap into my existing CATV cabling at some point if I want to make it pretty.

Fun w/ Captions

- Nothing to see here! Move along!
- Charlie, Our Mysterious Benefactor!
- Is that Wilson?

No, no...the man hiding behind the napkin is "Uncle." I caught him snacking. Apparently, Cape Cod chips taste good w/ salsa & a glass of white wine.

Addition:

- Pay no attention to the napkin! I am the great and powerful Oz!

Pool Sharks

Einstein & Jesus Walk into a Pool Hall...

Proof that my family has an odd sense of humor. Princess Kitty (and her parents...you know...the pastors!) bought this for Uncle (AKA iDad's little brother, AKA the biggest Sixers fan in the world.) Who won the great pool game? There are some questions best left unanswered!

Sunset

I am home. The sun has set on another family vacation in OBX. It was great. I miss my niece already. OK, I miss them all, but "Princess Kitty" is my excuse to play mini-golf, eat ice cream and watch Disney Movies.

Sunset over "our" pond with the Currituck Sound in the background
You can almost see the North Carolina coast behind it

The Internets Pipe Is Clogged

So, the Internet connection here at the rental house is down. The guy from the rental agency came out Sunday and unlocked the electronics room, but all he knew how to do was recycle the power. So, my uncle called me downstairs to help. The television feed is running, but the Internet light is not and we still haven't gotten it fixed.

iDad started wandering around looking for WiFi signals with his iPhone. (Which was OMG funny!) Other members of my family kept asking me "What will we do?" Perhaps it's denial, but I just shrugged and went back to my mystery book. (Note: the wife did it!) Then when that was done, I moved on to my Obama book. I - gasp - explored the outdoors. I - oh the horror - swam in the pool & walked on the nature trail. By Monday however, the inmates became restless.

That's when iDad found a faint connection to another WiFi signal when standing in the corner of one room on the third floor. Pandemonium ensued! Followed by begging! I lugged my old laptop (which I almost didn't bring) up to the room and set it up in the corner. Since my nephew wanders in and out of the room, I can't just leave my laptop sitting on the floor. Instead, I've had to unpack it a few times for people to read email and blah blah blah...

Anyway, that's what's going on. I had intended to supply random photos of OBX everyday. But frankly, it's better this way. So, don't expect anymore posts this week. I'm having fun, playing with the kids, wearing plenty of sunscreen, and generally making an obnoxious pain of myself whenever possible. Ah vacation!

That One More Thing & Then Off to OBX

Whew, I think I've done everything I need to do before leaving for the annual family vacation. From experience, it's important to empty the kitchen trash & clean that last dish before a week away from home. Trust me on this one! I've got about an hour before I need to run some last-minute errands (return some books to the library, stop at the bank...) then grab Slick at work and begin our trip.

We're off to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's become a family tradition.

It's a 9-hour trip and yet we don't leave the state. It's just that we live in the SW corner and we're driving to the NE corner & up a barrier island. We leave now and stop in a hotel so we can get there ahead of the traffic. If we don't hit Kittyhawk by noon, the drive can be extended by an hour or two. There are few things worse than driving for 8+ hours and be in sight of the last bridge only to get stuck in snarled traffic.

Well, you could be my sister. She spent 10+ hours in the car last year only to hit the traffic and have the AC go out in her Blazer. And last year we had the heat wave. So, the inside of her SUV must have been insane.

I've got the laptop packed and might blog a little. Still, the goal is to drink my fill of family (especially my niece & nephew) to the point where I can't stand any of them. ;-)

Bad Marketing Decision

So today's Road Runner bill came and once again proves the general stupidity of corporations.

On the front and back of my bill is an ad for the new "Lighting-Fast!" service. On the back it specifically states "Road Runner has increased its speed but not its price." This is eye-catching marketing that is perfect for customers like myself who do online gaming, music & video streaming and frankly live in front of my computer. A friend who works for TWC has hinted to me that the company has been increasing it's bandwidth for all customers. This I assume is to help deal with the rising tide of FioS. I opened the notice expecting to see details relevant to me.

Except, when I open my bill there's a notice inside that states "Attention High Speed Internet Customers." Uh oh! Seems they are raising my rate by 6%. In other words, in the same mail that they advertise an increase in service w/out a rate increase I get a rate increase. WTF? My urge to call customer service was HIGH! Since I once worked in customer service, I stopped myself.

There is good news. The speed increase already happened. I noticed it a few weeks ago. They increased us to 7Mbps from 5. And my experience with TWC/Road Runner has been very good. In 3+ years, I can still count a handful of real service outages or problems. In those rare situations where I've had to deal with them, customer service has always been helpful. And, they are still the only viable game in town for me. We have DSL in the area, but it's only the 3Mbps service. Since we don't have home phone service, we would have to pay too much to justify the loss in bandwidth.

Sigh! I'm just not happy when I get bullshit in the mail. I also think that the juxtaposition of that advertisement with a notice about a bill increase demonstrates internal problems with the company. It shows that different departments aren't talking. That's never a good sign to a customer.

Torture

I caught this great commentary on Slate today concerning the connections between the Bush Administration's use of torture & the character of Jack Bauer on tv's "24."

Our torture policy has deeper roots in Fox television than the Constitution

This is a great read and another example of learning the wrong lessons from books & tv. It also reminded me of a post I made last year about Batman & torture.

Batman Tortures His Enemies Too

This got me thinking about the latest Batman "lesson."

There is a great scene in the new Dark Knight movie where Batman pounds the snot out of the Joker in police lock-up. Many have commented that there was a lot of symbolism throughout the movie and specifically this scene. Perhaps, but the scene itself is not new to the Batman mythos. Nor are the results. The results are tainted, mixed with half-truths and leave a scar on everyone involved. That's the one reality that we can take from this fiction. It's one of the many lessons that Batman taught me through the years: Yeah, you can use ends to justify the means, but get ready to face the consequences.

But, I guess John Yoo doesn't read/watch enough Batman.

Graphic Novels at the Library!

Months ago, the Queen mentions to me that her Library (she's head of her town's library board & volunteers there every week) has a huge selection of graphic novels located in the "Teen" fiction section. Today, when Slick and I were at ours, we looked. Sure enough, they had a huge collection of Manga and a decent sized selection of Graphic Novels.

I read the first tonight. Titled Identity Crisis, it's a murder mystery involving the Justice League. Imagine someone knows the identities of all the superheroes and decides to target and kill their loved-ones. Imagine that the murders are so well-orchestrated that it perplexes them all, even Batman. Who will die next? What lengths will the heroes go through to protect their own?

Under this mystery lies another one, perhaps even darker than one than the threat of more deaths. How far do capes really go to protect their identities? How many lies are told to protect Truth, Justice & the families behind the mask?

Brad Meltzer scribes a masterpiece. Rags Morales & Michael Bair bring it to life. Check for it at your local library. If they don't have it, then it's totally worth the money to buy it for your own collection. It was so good, I'm almost sorry I know the ending now.

Boycott this Jacksass

I try really hard to ignore the shit that comes out of the mouths of so-called radio & television personalities. But, I unfortunately couldn't escape this story. Conservative radio host Michael Savage made a horrendous comment about Autism. Here's the AP story:

Radio host angers parents of autistic children

My nephew is autistic. He's not faking. My sister & her family aren't being put on. His comments spit in my sister's face. She agonizes daily with visiting doctors, getting special care in school and trying to figure out out to potty train a 6-year old who can't talk. It puts a strain on the entire family. My sister and her husband work full-time as pastors & they care for the Silent Prince while still trying to give my niece the attention she deserves.

What makes Savage extra-evil is that he had an opportunity to apologize for his remarks and would not. I'm going to try really hard and pray for Savage. In the meantime, I hope he loses his job. Shit like this just makes me angry.

Snake Eating It's Own Tail

The most important lesson I learned working for that big mutual fund company was the way things interconnect. The economy is like a game of pick-up-sticks. Move something & everything changes. Change something & everything must adjust. Examples are everywhere. Our economy is dependent on illegal immigration. Change (or enforce) the law and ripples occur. Growers can't find cheap labor, crops don't get picked, grocery prices go up.

Some consequences are expected, others are not. Cities put in traffic cameras. Then officials are shocked - shocked I say - when the program actually deters crime. People actually don't blow through traffic lights. The cameras have to be shut down because they aren't turning a profit. The goal wasn't to deter traffic violations, it was to make money on them.

And now we have the unexpected cost of higher gas prices. Road Kill. "As Americans buy less gas, they're inadvertently cutting into the money for highway projects." That's right, it's all interconnected and not in a good way. Our oil-economy has a stranglehold on us. We pull a stick and the whole structure shakes. There are two ways to deal with this. We can behave like addicts and focus on finding more oil at any cost OR we can follow Brazil's example and transform our energy program.

What's our goal? Holding onto what we had or maintaining American's place as the greatest nation on earth?

Not A Superhero Movie

As per my sister's request, a review of Batman.

Slick and I saw the Dark Knight tonight. Not since the time Crash & I saw Blackhawk Down have I left a movie speechless. We were in the car before I could utter a single word about the film and that was to say "I'm not sure."

It was not a superhero movie. It was a gritty, violent morality play. It's hard to even talk about it for fear of giving things away. I feel comfortable telling you this: The events of the previous movie left the a gaping hole in the criminal power-structure. Batman & his allies have been scrambling to fill that void with law & order. Instead a new player has appeared, one that is chaos incarnate. His name is the Joker.

I will set aside the hype over Ledger's final performance. Yes, he was amazing. Yes, it was chilling. This is the Joker that I know and hate (because saying I love him would be so wrong.) This is not some clown prince of crime. This is the the same vision of Joker that killed Jason Todd & paralyzed Barbara Gordon. This is a sadist who plays with knives & bombs.

The story that director Christopher Nolan tells here is more akin to something you see trying late in the winter movie season. It strives to be an Oscar film. It feels more at home with movies like Unforgiven & Mystic River than it does with Ironman & Hancock. Like Eastwood's Unforgiven turned the western on it's heels, so does Batman forever change the landscape of supposed superhero movies.

A warning to potential viewers. You can not watch this film without feeling the utter hopelessness that Bruce Wayne faces. You can not avoid the shocking morality play. It is not for the faint of heart. I almost couldn't believe that Hollywood allowed them to make a movie about the Dark Knight.

I assumed that it would eventually swing back to a traditional summer blockbuster. I assumed we would see something of the Batman that Tim Burton envisioned. It never happened and I'm still shocked about that. This is makes Frank Miller's Batman almost cheery. I'm still wondering what all those sheep in the audience thought they were going to see. I'm still wondering what THEY thought after it was all over.

Frankly, I'm not sure I do.

P.S. Watchmen trailer FTW!!!

Like Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

Philly's Spectrum to be demolished

My mother-in-law told me about it on the phone the other day, but it didn't have the nostalgic effect this article had. Oh the times I spent in that building.

I saw Dr J, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney & Bobby Jones play for Billy Cunningham the year they won the championship. Fo Fo Fo!

My dad took me to several Sixers games every year. When I was really little we used to ride the Broad Street Subway home. I also remember when we all loading up in the church bus and sat in the cheap seats to see Magic & Showtime or Bird & McHale. Growing up, it seemed like my father was always busy, always at a meeting or something, but we always had the Sixers.

See kids, back then dunking was the occasionally used art-form. Players could actually shoot. They knew how to dribble without palming the ball every other bounce. AND, they wore really short shorts.

It was during one of those games that my father realized I needed glasses. I borrowed someone's binoculars and didn't want to give them back. The next day he took me to get my eyes checked.

Rocky was filmed at the Spectrum.

Before Comcast SportsNet there was PRISM.

Remember that famous last-second shot by Christian Laettner in 1992 against Kentucky. Yeah, that was in the Spectrum. No, I wasn't there, but man do I remember that shot.

In highschool, I had floor seats for Aerosmith. That was increadible.

On the other hand, in college we had the worst seats for Rush. NothingKnew's ex got a really bad headache from the "contact high." I remember having to drive her car back to school. I can't for the life of me remember where he was. I just remember that it rained like a muth%#$& on the Northeast Extension that night.

I remember when my friend Jason scored us Flyers tickets just behind the Ranger's bench one season and the two of us spending the whole time banging the glass. I can't remember who won, but I do remember being glad there was glass between me and them. I swear it wasn't me who threw the beer!

The Spectrum was also the place where some seats had "obstructed views." What does that mean? These were seats that were partially blocked by a wall or stairwell. Seriously, there were spots in the stands where paying customers could not see sections of the floor, ice, concert stage. Can you imagine something like that in one of today's modern arenas?

I'm sure that I'm feeling the same way about the Spectrum as older Philadelphians felt about Convention Hall. How is it that the Colosseum of Rome was used for over 500 years & still stands today, but the Spectrum only made it 42 years? They just don't make 'em the way they used to...

DvD Night Rentals

Maybe you missed them at the box-office. Maybe you never even heard of them. Here are some great movie-night options for the geek with a home-theater...

House of Flying Daggers (2004) - This visually stunning martial-arts "wire-fu" movie is part revolution, part love-story. A must for Crouching Tiger fans.

3:10 to Yuma (2007) - Christian Bale & Russell Crowe star in this violent wild-west tale about an insane outlaw the quiet family man who tries to bring him to justice. A must for wild-west fans & for fans of these actors.

Dan in Real Life (2007) - Steve Carell stars in this romantic comedy that you may have missed last year. Meet Dan, a single dad who's a little too devoted to his daughters.

Night at the Museum (2006) - Totally silly pop-corn comedy. Don't take it seriously and you'll love it. Also a good family flick. Ben Stiller becomes a night-watchman at a museum that comes to life. Insanity follows.

And now, movies that you must absolutely NOT rent. They are bad, worse and just plain wasted crap.

Jumper (2008) - The previews for this movie suck SciFi geeks in even after seeing how bad the reviews are. It can't be that bad, right? Wrong! As a SciFi concept, it's awesome. SciFi channel would have done a better job doing it as one of their made-for-tv giant killer snake movies. It's just bad, bad, bad! I nearly walked out of my own living room.

Stealth (2005) - It's got Jamie Foxx, jet fighters & artificial intelligence gone bad. It's like live-action anime. It's gotta be fun, right? Absolutely not. Jessica Biel can not act. Jamie Foxx is wasted. This movie makes Top Gun look like academy awards material. In fact, if you need to see navy jets, go rent that instead.

The Last Legion (2007) - Pre-Arthurian legend material? Sword fighting? Mr Darcy & Ghadi? (Colin Firth & Ben Kingsley) Why it sounds absolutely like the kind of movie the wife and I would love to rent for a lazy summer weekend. Except that it's OMG bad! If you're going to make up the story of Uther Pendragon and use a big budget to do it, at least have the courtesy to make the movie good.

Mindless Activities for the Homebound Geek

A very good friend of mine is sick and stuck at home. The Dr thinks it's Mono, but the tests aren't back yet. Effectively quarantined and living hundreds of miles from all his friends and family, he's going stir crazy. He's got just enough energy to need mental stimulation but not enough to really do much. I know what he's going through. He can only play so much World of Warcraft. He can only watch so many reruns on TV. He need distractions. So, for him and the rest of my readers, I present just a few mindless activities for the home-bound geek. And yes, I've mentioned many of these in the occasional post.

Netflix
Start with a Netflix membership. The 3-movies at a time deal is the best balance between cost & movies. It also allows for access to the online library. I recommend stupid action, anime & scifi. Serious films just add to the potential for depression. Consider a Babylon 5 marathon. Skip season 5. He actually already got the Netflix subscription today & I sent him a list of movies.

Read the following online comics
PvP - Follow the crazy adventures of the staff of a fictional gaming magazine. Find the archive and start from the begining.
XKCD - The comic that's smarter than you are. If you don't get the joke, you probably don't have a degree in science. Read it anyway.
User Friendly - The staff of this Canadian ISP and their pet "Dustpuppy" who formed in the server farm.
Questionable Content - The life of 20-somethings who hang out in a coffee shop and talk about music. It's wrong, funny and highly addictive. You will be sucked in. You must start in the archive.
Full Frontal Nerdity - Four geeks who play way too much D&D.
The Order of the Stick - The most unusual adventuring party you've ever seen.
ExtraLife - The imagination of Scott Johnson unfolds before us in a single panel. Part gaming reviewer, part social comentator, part insane, all Scott...

Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited
Consider a one-month membership ($10) to access hundreds of issues from Marvel's comicbook line. Slick got me a 1-year subscription 6-months ago and I still haven't put a dent in it. They have huge selections from the "giants" of the Marvel universe including the X-Men, Spiderman & the Avengers. You can choose to read stuff from the early days or catch up on the events from M-Day & Civil War.

Classic VideoGame Rewind
Somewhere in your house there's a videogame that you loved so much that you tucked it away. Does it still work with your hardware? Do you still have that copy of CivIII? What about Fable or Tiger Woods for that old Xbox you're using as an extra DvD player in the den? Dust them off and have at it!

It's not TV, it's Hulu
Even if you have Digital Cable or Satellite sometimes there's just nothing on. Try Hulu. This online "channel" has an ever-growing line-up of reruns & movies. The average show has 5 very short (30-sec) commercial breaks. Catch episodes of Buffy or watch Ghostbusters.

Feel better my friend. If anyone else has suggestions or ideas, please share them.

That F@#%er!

White House: Bush to lift offshore drilling ban

Is it too late for a double-impeachment? Surely Nancy can run the government until January...or at least do a better job than the current occupant. WTF?!? Yeah, gas is $4.04 down the street. I'm sure it's even higher elsewhere. More off-shore drilling does NOTHING to current gas price. Long-term conversion of our energy infrastructure to sustainable & environmentally friendly resources is our best shot. We need more fuel-efficient vehicles NOW. The little-three could have planned ahead and gotten here first. Imagine if Ford or Crysler had invested in Prius-like concepts 10 years ago in preparation for this day? What happened to this country's innovation? It didn't all go into the computer industry, did it?

For over a decade my wife (who claims to know nothing about geo-politics) has been saying that we are headed for a paradym shift in the way that Americans (& the world) live. Our extravagant, gas-guzzling, credit-fueled days are numbered. If she saw this 10 years ago, before the gas crisis, the housing crisis & Bush's War, how did the people in Washington miss it? We could have delt with this with vision & direction. Instead we're running around like Chicken Little and making things worse.

Sigh!

I need a hug & a solar array!

The New Captain's Chair

The aches and pains the last few weeks have made me really consider proper ergonomics. I thought I had done a good job, but the old setup just wasn't cutting it. As reported, I got a trackball earlier this week. I've also been looking at my overall setup. My conclusions? Change was needed. Slick and I talked about it and concurred it was time for me to look for a better chair. My big concern was cost. I've never spent more than $100 on a desk chair before. There was no way we were going to drop $700-1k on one of those fancy chairs like my old company got me when I was on partial disability. (Lord, I wish I could have taken that thing with me.)

Anyway, Slick and I went out and found a great chair for much less than I expected. It's got everything I need: Adjustable arm support, head rest, lumbar support. Heck, it's so nice that Office Depot was nearly sold out across the region.

The Captain's Chair

We also got a keyboard tray/arm, but the chair adjusts so well I'm taking it back. It's sad how excited I am about office furniture.

Utterly Random Post

4th o' July...

...was freaking awesome. Another "geek" couple came to visit us this weekend. I made a ton of "healthy" food. We talked until late into the evening each night. We played fun, silly board games & hours of Zombie Flux. Flux is a card game with ever-changing rules. Zombie Flux is Flux only w/ Zombies. It's an awesomely fun time drinking wine, talking about our pets (that's what couples w/out kids do) and making Zombie sounds.

Who's On First?...

...Well, it's not Ryan Howard. The National League has a "good problem" when 3 of it's best players all play the same position. You can't keep Lance Berkman out of the All Star Game this year. Pujols is batting .346! I love Howard, but he strikes out too much in the face of that competition.

Trackball...

...Well, I finally caved and am swapping to a trackball. My hands hurt almost all the time. Using a trackball should help. I've gone with the Logitech Trackman Wheel Optical mouse based on a number of good user reviews and word-of-mouth. It grips like an ergonomic mouse and the scroll button is surprisingly smooth. Video-gaming could take some time to get used to.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss...

...Thank you Pandora Internet Radio. I heard about this team-up, but I hadn't heard anything yet. I was listening to Pandora while reading the news this morning & Your Long Journey came on. I rushed over to iTunes (my sister gave me iTunes for Christmas) and got the whole album.

Elton Brand...

...Signed with the Sixers this week. This is exciting. They are a young and improving squad. Brand's addition could get them out of the first round this year. They are probably too young to make an honest run at the title, but it's still exciting. Brand's experience should help this young team.

Feeling...

Better than the other week. I got over the really bad spell barely in time for the 4th. Thanks goes to Slick who forced me to rest instead of helping her w/ our seasonal mega-cleaning. I feel really bad about not helping wash all those nooks and crannies around the house.

Happy Birthday Tom Cruise

File under weird shit that I remember. Today is Tom Cruise's birthday. Why do I know this? Way back in 1989, he played Ron Kovic in the movie Born on the 4th of July. I remember, oddly enough, the interview he gave while promoting the film. It bothers me that I can remember the birthday of this nut-job, but have to look up my niece's birthday.

I have a love-hate relationship with the "trappings" of the 4th. I'm big on our country's history (especially the Revolutionary War,) consider myself Patriotic and love the Constitution. I dislike drunk people with fireworks and never got into parades (Unless it's the Mummers.)

Anyway, back to Tom. Ever since he went off the deep end, I won't see his movies. Frankly, I can't emotionally separate the idiot from the actor anymore. Still, Born on the 4th of July was a powerful film when I saw it at the tender age of 16.

To this day, the story of Ron Kovic serves as a reminder to me about innocence lost and the dangers of clinging to the flag. America is never as bad as it's detractors suggest, but it's also never as good as the Zealots want us to believe. Kovic's story is also one that should, perhaps, be re-introduced to today's generation. Already, the news is too filled with horror stories about injured Iraq Vets receiving inadiquate care. The past repeats.

We the People, at least on the surface, are doing a better job of honoring our soldiers. Brave men and women are not returning to angry and hateful attacks on their honor. Unfortunately, we're imbroiled in another wasteful conflict with no end in sight.

Tomorrow, we pause to reflect, to celebrate, to BBQ in honor of a hard-faught dream. Our challenge tomorrow (and everyday) is to honor our country while still holding it to a higher standard.

Oh, and happy birthday Tom.

Frustration

After our trip north last month, my body needed time to recuperate. We all knew it would. Over the next few weeks I was feeling "OK." I spent a lot of time functioning at about 80%. This meant I was able to relax, sleep, have fun & still get a few things accomplished. Since I wasn't feeling super, I reserved more and more time for fun and left projects like yard-work & home repair sit idle.

Well, weeks went by and I never really got my groove back. In fact, on Friday things just got worse. My body is in full-blown pain. I know this because I caught myself taking my 3rd painkiller of the day yesterday. Most days I don't take any. Some days I have to take 1 or 2. Three means I'm miserable.

This makes me look back at the last month in disgust. I could have paced myself in June and accomplished projects when I could have managed them a piece at a time. Now, there's no way I'm doing any of the yard work. Slick will have to clean the kitchen before our guests arrive for the 4th.

There's only one thing left to do now. I must find a distraction and I must relax. My body is so tense that even my shoulders feel like they are numb and asleep. The pain-killers (when I've taken them for several days) start to make me feel nauseated. So, I absolutely need to stop feeling bad.

PS. It should be noted that June was (once I stop feeling frustrated about it) a good month. My health was better than worse. Slick & I have been having a lot of fun. Until this weekend, I've been really excited about the summer. I'm still excited. We have friends visiting for the 4th of July. We have vacation with my family. We have vacation with Slick's family. My uncle is visiting in Sept. It'll be a great summer. I just have to get through this first.