Sunday, September 28, 2008

I Wonder...

-how I can get the same deal as NFL referees: "criticize me, and you have to pay a fine!" But no. If I want you to stop criticizing me I have to actually, you know, improve.

-why I can’t join the YLC Facebook group, even though I am a dues-paying member, just because I’m not in the New Orleans, LA network.

-while thinking about facebook, how much better the world would be if people spent as much time and energy on recruiting, supporting, and voting on candidates who actually have something to offer as they do on griping, complaining, petitioning, and boycotting the new facebook layout. Just deal with it already!

-why we are responsible for our own financial situations, but people who are responsible for billions of dollars of other people’s money qualify for a bailout.

-while thinking about the bailout, where this $700 billion is coming from. If the unfortunate collapse hadn’t happened, would every taxpayer in America have gotten around $3,000 back from the federal government this year? Or are we finally going to sell California to the Russians?

-why Lincoln promotes its MKS using “Major Tom,” a ballad that is about the complete systems failure of a mechanical object.

-why Bubby texts me things like, “Sucks! It’s ok well just me the shit out of them” as if I am supposed to understand what the hell that means.

-how to convince Bill that 83 degrees is warm enough to put the air conditioner on, even though it’s “almost October.”

-where Paul Newman is.

-why Don Imus lost his job for calling Rutgers female basketball players “nappy-headed ho’s” yet Sandra Bernhard faces no public outrage for suggesting that Sarah Palin be raped by her “big black brothers.”

Groan
A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, "Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!" The doctor replied, "I know you can't - I've cut off your arms!"

Friday, September 19, 2008

The Weekly Roundup

Money Matters
A changed Wall Street hopes for positive signs
As soon as the federal government agrees to spend billions and billions of taxpayer dollars to bail out the rich (yet again) they go ahead and ramp up again. How many times are we going to bail these people out until they get it right? And doesn’t all this bailing out cripple the natural evolution of a market-driven economy? Where would so many of the small businesses that fail every year be if we didn’t feel it necessary to equip big investment companies with golden parachutes when they clearly don’t learn from their mistakes?
(International Herald Tribune)

Bring It On, Bitches
In video, Al Qaeda vows more U.S. attacks
They talk tough, but all they want to do is kill innocent people who haven’t done a thing to them just to make a point. I guess the point they’re trying to make is, “we can kill people.” Really, what they are is a bunch of cowards that deserve our pity and to be wiped off the planet.
(CNN)

Got Scandal?
Milk off shelves as China's safety scandal grows
Who could have seen this one coming? Of all the processed products out there, who ever would have thought that milk would be a target of additives that will make people sick? And with the suggestion of animal urine possibly being added, I don’t know if I’ll ever drink milk again.
(Associated Press)

The Snoops Trial
Class action lawsuit charges President, NSA with illegal surveillance
Of course, this will never go anywhere, and that’s a shame. I completely agree with President Bush that terrorists are still looking to attack this country and that we need to use whatever methods are available to find out who they are and what they plan. But I would argue that arbitrary, unwarranted spying on Americans is not a method available to the government. If we’re going to give up our civil rights in the name of security, then what freedoms, exactly, are we trying to preserve?
(BetaNews)

And the Smog Gets Heavier
Light Rail Train Hits Bus in LA; 14 Injured
Two train catastrophes in one week in LA. At least this one didn’t involve any fatalities. Hopefully the MTA will get its act together after this one.
(ABC News)

Damn Democrats!
Tryst in Minneapolis hotel room turns into $50K robbery for Republican convention delegate
Well, what do you expect to happen when you pick up Chelsea Clinton at a bar at the Republican convention?
(Newsday)

Dr. Detroit
Detroit welcomes a new mayor, a new era
And this one doesn’t have to wear an ankle monitor!
(Detroit Free Press)

Ghost of the Past
Ike uncovers mystery ship in Alabama
I guess hurricanes aren’t totally a negative thing. How did no one find this before now? It couldn’t have been buried that far out for Ike to have uncovered it.
(USA Today)

Go Cook Yourself
Skin Cancer Researchers Oppose Industry Campaign to Portray Tanning Beds as Healthy
What I don’t understand is how people can fall for crap like the tanning industry tries to shove down our throats? If ultraviolet rays are unhealthy when coming from the sun, which is about 93 million miles away, then how is it possible to think that they are not unhealthy when coming from a source that’s about 3 inches away?
(WebMD)

Tiger Bait
John Werner's College Predictions: Auburn tough spot for LSU
Hopefully tomorrow’s outcome will reverse the trend of LSU losing at Auburn. Go Tigers! (the LSU ones, I mean)
(Waco Tribune-Herald)

Slummin’
Diddy and His Private Plane Feel Pain at the Pump
This is a disgrace. Something has to be done. It’s bad enough that Americans are scaling back their vacations, people have to take public transportation more often, the price of everything that is moved by gasoline powered vehicles (read: everything) is going up, but now Diddy has to travel on first class instead of private jet! Somebody let me know where I can donate money to ease this poor man’s pain.
(PopEater)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Water, Water Everywhere

Hurricane Ike came through last weekend and devastated southeast Texas and even caused some havoc in Louisiana. Thanks to Joan, here are some photos of Manchac. Manchac is a small fishing village between New Orleans and Hammond. There is a great seafood restaurant there called Middendorf's that I took Bill to last year when we were visiting. There is really nothing on I-55 on the 30 mile trip between LaPlace and Hammond except Manchac. You're just driving along over water for miles and then all of a sudden there's this little place with the restaurant. The white building is the original restaurant. If you look at the window all the way on the right, that's where we were sitting. Even though it's literally in the middle of nowhere, after a few years they couldn't handle the volume in the restaurant and opened the brown building across the parking lot. So the same restaurant operates in two different buildings less than 100 yards from each other!

The pictures after that are from Texas. Then the final picture is a happy one after all of the devastation. It's of my two favorite football players in the world!




















The Original Middendorf's

The new Middendorf's

Photo Smiley N. Pool - AP

Source: Reuters/NASA

Source: STR/AFP: Getty Images


Photo Emmitt Hawks - US Navy

Photo David J. Phillip - AP

Photo Eric Gay - AP

Photo Carlos Barria - Reuters
Photo Kevin M. Cox - AP


Photo L.M. Otero - AP

Photo David J. Phillip - AP

Photo David J. Phillip

Photo David J. Phillip

Photo David J. Phillip


Photo Richard Alan Hannon - AP

Photo Alex Brandon - AP

Photo Smiley N. Pool

Photo Scott Olson

Photo L.M. Otero - AP


Photo Smiley N. Pool - AP

Photo Tony Gutierrez - AP

Photo Mark Wilson

Photo David J. Phillip - AP

Photo Matt Slocum - AP


Photo Tony Gutierrez - AP

Photo David J. Phillip

Photo Matt Slocum - AP


Photo Eric Gay - AP


Photo U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. James L. Harper, Jr. - Reuters
And, finally, a photo of my two favorite football players in the whole world, my nephews Jacob and Matty!
Photo their Mom Rebecca

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

What's In My Inbox

I’ve actually gotten this from a number of people, so I almost didn’t post it, but it’s kind of clever so I’ll go ahead and offer it for those who might have missed it. With apologies to David Letterman, here are the:

----------------------------------------

Top Ten Reasons Hurricane Season Is Like Christmas

Number Ten:
Decorating the house (with plywood).

Number Nine:
Dragging out boxes that haven't been used since last season.

Number Eight:
Last minute shopping in crowded stores.

Number Seven:
Regular TV shows pre-empted for 'Specials.'

Number Six:
Family coming to stay with you.

Number Five:
Family and friends from out of state calling you.

Number Four:
Buying food you don't normally buy . . . and in large quantities.

Number Three:
Days off from work.

Number Two:
Candles.

And the Number One reason Hurricane Season is like Christmas:
At some point you're probably going to have a tree in your house!

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm, But how to dance in the rain.'
And...we might as well laugh!!!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Always Something There To Remind Me

Bill's nephews Mikey and Matt went to an 80's themed party with their friends recently. I happened to be over there while they were getting ready and, being a child of the 80s myself, was able to offer a few tips. Unfortunately, not all of my advice was followed, most notably my suggestion to Steve that he go home and change into pants that weren't so tight that they made him look like John Travolta's gay cousin. After all, that would be from the 70s! But by and large, I think the kids looked good. These photos were taken with my cell phone camera so the quality's pretty poor.



Isn't She Pretty In Pink?
(Mikey & Taryn)



Parents Just Don't Understand
(Steve, Mikey, Dianne & Matt [with Joey in the background])




Just A Gigolo
(Dianne, Matt & Taryn)



Don't Worry, Be Happy
(Mikey & Steve)




Baby When You Call Me You Can Call Me Al
(Mikey)


The Boys Of Summer
(Mikey, Steve & Matt)



Everybody Wang Chung Tonight
(Steve, Dianne, Mikey, Matt & Taryn)

Friday, September 12, 2008

The Weekly Roundup

Vicious Weather
Hurricane Ike could be 'catastrophe' for Texas
This thing doesn’t look good at all. It’s been a long time since the poor people in Texas have been hit with a major storm, as evidenced by the number of people I saw on the news who live near the coast and are just planning on “riding it out.” Too many apathetic people said that three years ago in New Orleans, and many of them aren’t around to appreciate how foolhardy that was. Good luck to them.
(Reuters)

Remember
President Dedicates Memorial to Attack
My older relatives always told me that no one would ever forget where they were and what they were doing when President Kennedy was shot. I never really understood what they meant by that until the morning of September 11, 2001. Now I understand completely.
(The New York Times)

Profiles in Threat
Rules would bolster FBI’s effort to assess threats
I understand the ACLU’s concern about racial profiling, really I do. But as part of a totality of suspicion, I don’t know that it’s a completely out of bounds thing. This might sound strange, but if everyone is racially profiled equally, doesn’t that constitute equal protection under the constitution? We need to set aside the atrocities of the past and focus on what can help to keep us safe now. Old time lynchings are a thing of the past; they’re not coming back; we’ve moved beyond that; any intelligent person knows this. But if the fact that I am a white man when added to a formula that smart people have developed gives authorities reason to question me, then I can’t have problems with that. As long as I am free to avail myself of the entire justice system, and as long as the justice system works as it is supposed to, then I’m covered.
(Kansas City Star)

Dan Quayle Redux
Palin confused on Social Security, other issues
Maybe it’s all that lead they have in lipstick, but I agree with this columnist that an Alaskan governor running for Vice President ought to be much better versed in how entitlement programs run, particularly the ones that run in her state. And when asked a question of fact, whether she thinks that homosexuality is genetic or learned, she said it’s not her place to “judge” people. I don’t get that at all. I’m starting to have very serious doubts about Governor Palin.
(Chicago Sun Times)

Start With a Bang
Super-smasher targets massive mystery
How cool is this? Scientists have actually come up with a machine that’s going to simulate conditions that led to the creation of the universe. Unless you believe the whole “let there be light” thing. This could lead to an entire new universe of discovery: why and how the galaxies, sun and planets formed the way they did; where moons come from and what they do; what’s the deal with gravity; why do the release of certain chemicals affect the atmosphere. Or it might create black holes that will destroy the planet. Sleep well.
(MSNBC)

Doubt for a Reason?
Troy Anthony Davis' execution stands, Georgia parole board says
I admit I don’t know much about this case, and this article certainly doesn’t go into a whole lot of detail, but I intend to do some research and find out more. But if it can be shown that 7 out of 9 witnesses would give substantively different testimony, or in some cases diametrically opposed testimony, to what they did at the original trial, and police coersion is asserted, then isn’t it possible to think that a jury would reach an entirely different conclusion than they did in 1989? And isn’t that the point of the whole appeals process? I’m not against capital punishment per se, but I believe that we should suspend every currently scheduled execution until the system can be fixed to ensure, to the best of our ability, that no innocent person is ever put to death. For example, I think that any new technology that could potentially offer new information in the case of a condemned person, put into use after that person’s conviction, should be available to the defense between the time of trial and execution. There are tons of advocacy groups that would gladly donate the money to apply these new methods after the fact. And, at the very least, difficult though it may be, we should insist that mind-boggling, complex modern technology like Microsoft Calendar be used to make sure that a Supreme Court appeal is not scheduled to be heard SIX DAYS AFTER the scheduled execution. I mean. Come on. Seriously?
(Los Angeles Times)

You’ve Got Compulsion
Email Addiction: Five Signs You Need Help
I’d write more about this, but I’ve got yahoo, hotmail, gmail, aol, myspace and facebook messages waiting.
(IT World)

Gimme an N! Gimme a U! Gimme a T!
Mom allegedly uses daughter's ID to be cheerleader
Here’s a family that needs Dr. Phil desperately. On second thought, I doubt Dr. Phil would do them much good. This woman probably needs to be in an institution. Can you even imagine going to high school and your mother’s in the popular clique? It would make for awkward cafeteria seating arrangements, that’s for sure.
(Associated Press)

My Turn
Cassel has been a study in patience for the Patriots
On September 23, 2001 an unknown second-year quarterback was thrust into the starting position for the New England Patriots after Drew Bledsoe left the game against the New York Jets due to internal bleeding. Tom Brady didn’t do much that year, unless you count leading his team to and winning the Super Bowl a worthy accomplishment. This weekend, we begin the process of seeing if Matt Cassel can match the success of his mentor. Go Pats!
(The Providence Journal)

Get Outta My Face
Kanye West arrested in airport dustup with paps
You know, if you don’t want whackjobs accosting you in the airport and taking your picture, you can always be a dental hygienist. Or a florist. Or an engineer. Or a bricklayer. Or an administrative assistant. You don’t have to make millions of dollars by screeching bad songs.
(Associated Press)

Thursday, September 11, 2008

McCain - FAIL

I’m so sick of politics. Actually, that’s not entirely correct. I’m more sick of politicians than I am of actual politics. And considering that it’s going to be nothing but politics from now until November 4th, this is a bad time to be sick of politicians.

But I am.

And I don’t know why I’m surprised and disappointed.

But I am.

Maybe I’m an idealist, but every election since I’ve begun to vote, I’ve expected and anticipated issues-driven, substantive campaigns. And every election since I’ve begun to vote, I’ve gotten exactly the opposite. Elections in this country, and the presidential election in particular, seem to be much less about who is the most intelligent, the most enlightened, the strongest leader, the greatest visionary. Instead, what you have is a person trying to convince you that the other person or people are not worthy.

The message that I get from candidates in any election can usually be summed up as: “Maybe I suck, BUT THEY SUCK WAY WORSE.”

Is this acceptable to honest, intelligent, hard-working people? Because to me, I got enough of trash talk about people in high school; I really don’t need it anymore. Maybe people revert when they get the national spotlight on the political scene. I don’t know, because I cannot name a single politician in recent memory that has impressed me as anything better than an insincere panderer. Because what these politicians do is say whatever they feel will garner them support among the voters. Truth, research, enlightenment be damned! If they feel that it will cause people to look at their opponents in a negative light, they will say it.

Apathy is our biggest problem. I am always dismayed when I express these feelings to people whom I feel are intelligent, and get the stock response, “well, what do you expect?” with a look of defeat on their faces.

I just want to scream, “Wake up people!” They are talking to US! WE are the ones who have to demand better, and we don’t. Us. Average Americans. The people that are “served” by the politicians. Unfortunately, very few Americans actually care enough about these elections to demand better.

And the ones who do care are the ones who eat this stuff as though it were nectar from the gods.

Did you see and hear the reactions of the delegates at the conventions? Hanging on the every empty word of these people. It doesn’t even seem like they cared what the words actually were, because not a single one of them said anything worth listening to. Their celebrities were talking, and that’s all they cared about. I remember one woman interviewed at the end of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, and she didn’t talk about the speech at all. All she talked about was how when she was a young woman, she couldn’t even vote because she was a black woman, and now a black man is running for president. She became so emotional she broke down and walked away from the interviewer. I got the impression that Obama could have been proposing a special tax on black women and it wouldn’t have made a single difference to her. It was the same way when Sarah Palin spoke at the Republican convention. People in that audience’s eyes were almost glowing as if they were standing in front of the Pope himself giving a speech. What was especially interesting about that is I’ll bet at least 80% of the people in that audience had never even heard of Sarah Palin until a few days before that speech. I mean, honestly. How many average Americans can even name two past Alaskan governors? And here they are treating her as though she is the Second Coming.

I think a lot of this stems from lack of choices. We have two parties in this country, and I will get into my hatred of the two-party system in a later post. Tonight, I am so angry at the McCain campaign I can’t think of anything else.

I have heard nothing substantive from either of the two major presidential candidates. I’ve heard some ideas, like taxes should be lowered, our troops should come home from war, the economy should be stimulated, change is good, change is bad, whatever. How any of this is to be accomplished remains a mystery. Most of what I’ve heard can only be described as mudslinging.

OK, let’s say for the sake of argument, well what do you expect? They all do it; they’ll all continue to do it; nothing I write or say will make that change, at least for this election. So go ahead, do the smear thing, tell us why Obama sucks, if you’re McCain. Or, if you happen to be Obama, tell us why McCain sucks.

But when you get nit-picky, you lose me.

When you turn obviously viciously nit-picky, you aggravate me.

When you knowingly make unsubstantiated allegations just for the fact that your base of supporters will latch onto it as fact without bothering to check the truthfulness of your allegation, you are scum.

And when you get hypocritical, you completely turn me against you.

Up until now both campaigns have been doing a magnificent, and pretty equal, job of reinforcing my belief that every intelligent person in this country should move to Mexico and live like royalty on $11 a day.

But the McCain campaign has crossed the line. When you’re vicious and mean and twist the truth to suit your purposes, it’s one thing. But my biggest pet peeve is hypocrisy. I think that hypocrites are the ultimate anti-humans. Hate black people? That’s fine. Hate women? Okay. Hate gays? Go for it. Hate Asians, Hispanics, Canadians, New Yorkers, South Africans, Italians, Greeks? Why not?

It’s your right as an American. No one can make you love, or even respect, your fellow man. It doesn’t mean that I agree with you, or even like you. But I respect your beliefs, until you make me believe otherwise. You hate black people? Fine. But walk out of the interview when you find out that your potential boss is a black man; don’t sit there and kiss his ass in the hopes of appearing to be what you are not. The same goes for anyone who harbors hate against any person or group of people, or even all people. Some are what I like to call equal opportunity bigots and hate everyone equally.

That’s probably the most despicable example of hypocrisy, lying when it suits you. Another example of hypocrisy is when you condemn someone for saying something that YOU YOURSELF HAVE SAID. But this is entirely what John McCain’s campaign did today.

When talking about McCain as an agent of change, Obama said, “That's not change. That's just calling the same thing something different. But you know, you can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper and call it change; it's still going to stink.” That the McCain campaign interpreted that statement as an attack on Sarah Palin is absurd. It shows me that the #1 priority of the McCain campaign is to tear down Barack Obama, not to extoll the virtues and ideas of Senator McCain.

Read the story here.

It is often said that, as Americans, what unites us is much greater than what divides us. Let’s start talking about what unites us and how the candidates will enhance that part of America for each of us. Oh, and while I’m pissed off at the Republican ticket tonight, let me state that it’s more divisive than unitive to make rape victims pay for their own rape test kits, Mayor Palin. I’m just saying.

Groan
I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day, but I couldn't find any.